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CHAPTER 5 NOTES: CULTURE AND COGNITION Cognition: mental processes we use to transform sensory input into knowledge oFirst processes Attentionfocusing of our limited capacities of consciousness on a particular set of stimuli Sensationthe feelings that result from excitation of the sensory receptors (touch, taste, smell, sight, hearing) Perceptionour initial interpretations of the sensations oAfterward: Thinking and reasoning, language memory, problem solving, decision making, etc. Similarities and differences in the way people think oUniversality in cognitive processes such as hindsight bias and regrets over inaction vs. action oDifferences in perception and attention, categorization, some memory tasks, math abilities, problem solving, factors than enhance creativity, and dialectical thinking CULTURE AS COGNITION Many psychologists view culture itself as cognition oCulture is generally viewed as a set of mental representations about the world Chapter 1 definition of culture views culture as a knowledge system—one from which individuals create and derive knowledge about how to live oKnowledge system is shared, by a group of individuals, and is manifested in concrete objects, behaviors, and other physical elements of culture (survive more functionally and effectively) Cultures themselves are cognitive oThey are knowledge representations that include specific meanings and information, translated into norms, opinions, attitudes, values, and beliefs Humans have certain cognitive skills other animals do not, allowing for culture Manifested into overt behaviors and physical elements of culture Many psychologists believe culture is represented in the human mind oPeople’s mental models of culture influence their ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving, and that those mental models can be assessed Priming: a method used to determine one stimulus affects another CULTURE, ATTENTION, SENSATION, AND PERCEPTION Perception and Physical Reality People’s perceptions of the world do not necessarily match the physical realities of the world Blind spot: a spot in our visual field where the optic nerve goes through the layer of receptor cells on its way back toward the brain, creating a lack of sensory receptors in the eye at that location oThere is no blind spot in our conscious perception oMicrosaccades: micro eye movements that help our brains fill in scenes so it looks like we see everything Experiment: Hot, lukewarm, and cold waterTemp. doesn’t change when we switch, it’s our perception Cultural Influences on Visual Perception Optical Illusions: perceptions that involve an apparent discrepancy between how an object looks and what it actually is oMuch of what we know about cultural influences on perception comes from cross- cultural research on visual perception oMueller-Lyer illusionhorizontal-vertical illusion Ponzo Illusion Is a method used to determine if one stimulus affects another?The experimental method involves manipulating one variable to determine if this causes changes in another variable. This method relies on controlled research methods and random assignment of study subjects to test a hypothesis.
Which of the following is true of social orientation hypothesis?Which of the following is true of social orientation hypothesis? It states that cultures differ in independent versus interdependent social orientation patterns.
Which term refers to the manner in which people group things together it is one of the basic mental processes?Thinking about others in terms of their group memberships is known as social categorization —the natural cognitive process by which we place individuals into social groups.
Which of the following suggests that we remember things better if they are either the first or last item in a list of things to remember?The primacy effect describes our tendency to better remember information at the beginning of a series. Items at the beginning of a series are stored in our long-term memory more easily because it takes less processing power for our brains to remember single items.
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