|
2005 > |
Course
Description |
Culture and Cognition
Douglas
Medin
Northwestern University, USA
medin@northwestern.edu
This course will present culture
and cognition from a particular point of view. First, I will argue that the field
of cognition needs culture if cognition is to be viable and relevant. I
call this “culture lite,” because it doesn’t take much to do it in a useful
way. But there is another approach to culture and cognition that I think
ultimately will be more meaningful and that will allow for strong synergies
between culture and cognition. This alternative entails both qualitative and
quantitative research methods and requires the integration of anthropology and
psychology. I’ll try to illustrate and bring out the potential implications of
“culture heavy.”
Lecture 1. Why Cognition Needs Culture---culture
lite
A. Testing for universality or generality
B. Devolution
C. Decision making
D. Culture as a personality trait—USA versus East Asia
E. The positive summary—real people, ideally with real tasks yields real Progress
F. Reasons for discontent
For discussion: What principles of experimental design
apply to studies where Culture is a variable?
Required readings:
Medin and Atran
(Psych Review, 2004). This summarizes the next papers, which you may prefer to read in the original:
Coley et al 1997, Bailenson et al, 2002 Lopez et al,
1997, Ross et al, 2003
Morris, M.W. & Peng, K., JPSP,
1994, 67, 949-971.
Tanner, C. and Medin, D.L. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 2004, 11, 185-191.
Baron, J. & Spranca, M., OBHDP, 1997, 70, 1-16.
Optional readings:
Medin et al, Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 2003, 10, 517-532.
Markus, H.R. & Kitayama, S. (1991) Psychological Review, 98, 224-253.
Wolff, et al, Cognition, 1999, 73, 177-204.
Lecture 2. The Concept of Culture
A. Introduction to culture
B. A first pass at what culture might be and how it might be studied
C. Culture is not an Independent Variable---Is there a logic to cultural comparisons? General case of comparative research
D. History of culture and thought as a methodological critique
E. Levels of analysis and what sort of thing is culture? Discussion—cultures are like species?
F. Tentative Conclusion: Does little of interest to cognition takes place at the subordinate level.
G. Is that all there is?
For Discussion: Brumann –Is the concept of culture meaningful and useful?
Required readings:
Brumann, C. (1999), Current
Anthropology, 40, 1–14. Ideally
read all three of the next readings but do read at least one. Hong et al, American
Psychologist, 2000, 55, 709-720
Gardner, et al, Psychological Science, 1999, 10, 321-326.
Briley, D.et al.
(2000).Journal of Consumer Research, 27, 157–178.
Optional readings:
Chu et al, OBHDP, 1999, 77, 147-170.
Oyserman, et al, Psychological Bulletin, 2002, 128, 1-72.
Keesing,R. M. Current Anthropology, 1987, 28, 161-176
Hsee, C.K. and Weber, E. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 1999, 12, 165-179
Lecture 3. First Pass at Worldviews-Synergies
between culture and cognition
A.
East-West and Worldviews
For Discussion; The Geography of Thought and/or Nisbett et
al Psych Review paper
B. Native American and majority culture worldviews
For discussion. Principles and ethics of research with indigenous cultures
Required readings:
Part 1.
Nisbett et al, Psychological Review, 2001, 108, 291-310.
The next five
readings are important if you want to get into the details.
Norenzayan, et al, Cognitive Science, 2002, 26, 653-684.
Choi, et al,
Cognition, 1997, 65, 15-32.
Ji et al, JPSP,
2000, 78, 943-955.
Peng, K. & Nisbett, R.E. American Psychologist, 1999, 54, 741-754.
Unsworth, S.J. & Medin, D. Cognitive Science, 2005, 525-529.
Part 2
Optional readings:
Yates, et al, OBHDP, 1998, 89-117
Bloch et al, 2001, Journal of Cognition and Culture, 1, 43-68.
Atran et al, Journal of Cognition and Culture, 2001, 1, 3-23.
Lecture 4. The
Cultural Mind
A. Tragedy of the Commons
B. Studies in Guatemala
Mental models
Practices
Forest spirits
C. Social networks
D. Inter-generational change
For Discussion: Are
cultures like species?
Required readings:
Romney et al, American Anthropologist, 1986, 88, 313-337.
Atran et al, Current Anthropology, 2002, 43, 421-443.
Optional readings:
Hardin, G. Science, 1968, 162, 1243-1248.
Ostrum, E.
American Political Science Review, 92, 289-316.
Lecture 5. Culture
models from a point of view: A case study of inter-group conflict
A. Fish experts and ecological models
B. Values and practices
C. Inter-group perception
D. Historical associations and trends
E. Relationships
across tasks-
F. Summing up: Implications
For Discussion: Is
there a theory-free ethnography?
(Answer: no) If not, how do we avoid forcing observations into
pre-existing categories?
Required readings:
Medin et al, Cognition, in press.
Assignments
Students participating in the course for credit must do the following:
· Attend the morning session
· Do the assigned readings
· Attend discussion sections
· Prepare a 1-2 page reaction paper for at least one reading per class
· Write a research proposal (3-5 pages) on some aspect of culture and Cognition. The proposal should be on a topic that you are deeply interested in, perhaps interested enough that you will actually conduct the research.
Douglas Medin
Douglas Medin taught at the