scholarly journals Variation is the universal: making cultural evolution work in developmental psychology

2018 ◽  
Vol 373 (1743) ◽  
pp. 20170059 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Ann Kline ◽  
Rubeena Shamsudheen ◽  
Tanya Broesch
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Developmental Psychology ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Interdisciplinary Studies ◽  
Cultural Research ◽  
Cross Cultural Research ◽  
Cultural Evolutionary ◽  
Geographical Scope ◽  
Cultural Gaps

Culture is a human universal, yet it is a source of variation in human psychology, behaviour and development. Developmental researchers are now expanding the geographical scope of research to include populations beyond relatively wealthy Western communities. However, culture and context still play a secondary role in the theoretical grounding of developmental psychology research, far too often. In this paper, we highlight four false assumptions that are common in psychology, and that detract from the quality of both standard and cross-cultural research in development. These assumptions are: (i) the universality assumption , that empirical uniformity is evidence for universality, while any variation is evidence for culturally derived variation; (ii) the Western centrality assumption , that Western populations represent a normal and/or healthy standard against which development in all societies can be compared; (iii) the deficit assumption , that population-level differences in developmental timing or outcomes are necessarily due to something lacking among non-Western populations; and (iv) the equivalency assumption , that using identical research methods will necessarily produce equivalent and externally valid data, across disparate cultural contexts. For each assumption, we draw on cultural evolutionary theory to critique and replace the assumption with a theoretically grounded approach to culture in development. We support these suggestions with positive examples drawn from research in development. Finally, we conclude with a call for researchers to take reasonable steps towards more fully incorporating culture and context into studies of development, by expanding their participant pools in strategic ways. This will lead to a more inclusive and therefore more accurate description of human development. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Bridging cultural gaps: interdisciplinary studies in human cultural evolution’.

scholarly journals Integrative studies of cultural evolution: crossing disciplinary boundaries to produce new insights

2018 ◽  
Vol 373 (1743) ◽  
pp. 20170048 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oren Kolodny ◽  
Marcus W. Feldman ◽  
Nicole Creanza
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Human Genetics ◽  
Evolutionary Genetics ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Interdisciplinary Studies ◽  
Integrative Approach ◽  
Disciplinary Boundaries ◽  
Population Interactions ◽  
Complex Phenomena ◽  
Cultural Gaps

Culture evolves according to dynamics on multiple temporal scales, from individuals' minute-by-minute behaviour to millennia of cultural accumulation that give rise to population-level differences. These dynamics act on a range of entities—including behavioural sequences, ideas and artefacts as well as individuals, populations and whole species—and involve mechanisms at multiple levels, from neurons in brains to inter-population interactions. Studying such complex phenomena requires an integration of perspectives from a diverse array of fields, as well as bridging gaps between traditionally disparate areas of study. In this article, which also serves as an introduction to the current special issue, we highlight some specific respects in which the study of cultural evolution has benefited and should continue to benefit from an integrative approach. We showcase a number of pioneering studies of cultural evolution that bring together numerous disciplines. These studies illustrate the value of perspectives from different fields for understanding cultural evolution, such as cognitive science and neuroanatomy, behavioural ecology, population dynamics, and evolutionary genetics. They also underscore the importance of understanding cultural processes when interpreting research about human genetics, neuroscience, behaviour and evolution. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Bridging cultural gaps: interdisciplinary studies in human cultural evolution’.

Sociocultural memory development research drives new directions in gadgetry science

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Penny Van Bergen ◽  
John Sutton
Keyword(s):  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Autobiographical Memory ◽  
Developmental Psychology ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Memory Development ◽  
Development Research ◽  
Cultural Research ◽  
New Directions ◽  
Cross Cultural Research

Abstract Sociocultural developmental psychology can drive new directions in gadgetry science. We use autobiographical memory, a compound capacity incorporating episodic memory, as a case study. Autobiographical memory emerges late in development, supported by interactions with parents. Intervention research highlights the causal influence of these interactions, whereas cross-cultural research demonstrates culturally determined diversity. Different patterns of inheritance are discussed.

scholarly journals The Uses and Abuses of Tree Thinking in Cultural Evolution

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cara Evans ◽  
Simon J. Greenhill ◽  
Joseph Watts ◽  
Johann-Mattis List ◽  
Carlos A. Botero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Tree Thinking ◽  
Phylogenetic Methods ◽  
Cultural Research ◽  
Cross Cultural Research ◽  
Cultural Traits ◽  
Lines Of Evidence ◽  
Over Time

Modern phylogenetic methods are increasingly being used to address questions about macro-level patterns in cultural evolution. These methods can illuminate the unobservable histories of cultural traits and identify the evolutionary drivers of trait-change over time, but their application is not without pitfalls. Here we outline the current scope of research in cultural tree thinking, highlighting a toolkit of best practices to navigate and avoid the pitfalls and ‘abuses’ associated with their application. We emphasise two principles that support the appropriate application of phylogenetic methodologies in cross-cultural research: researchers should (1) draw on multiple lines of evidence when deciding if and which types of phylogenetic methods and models are suitable for their cross-cultural data, and (2) carefully consider how different cultural traits might have different evolutionary histories across space and time. When used appropriately phylogenetic methods can provide powerful insights into the processes of evolutionary change that have shaped the broad patterns of human history.

scholarly journals Translation as an Ecological Tool for Instrument Development

2007 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 40-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrey Vinokurov ◽  
Daniel Geller ◽  
Tamara L. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Instrument Development ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Translation Process ◽  
Cultural Research ◽  
Cross Cultural Research ◽  
American Society ◽  
Theoretical Issues

In this paper the authors outline the translation process involved in Macro International's evaluation of the Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Georgia. IVLP is a long-running program in which professionals and prospective leaders from around the world participate in funded short-term visits to the United States to learn first-hand professional practices and values of American society and democracy. The authors highlight the importance of attending to the theoretical issues in, discuss contextual factors inherent in, and outline specific phases of the translation process, and present the modified decentering translation technique adapted for the project. They describe the types of translation equivalencies that were addressed and present findings that attest to the quality of the translation. They underscore the importance of the translation process as a qualitative tool for the instrument development that maps the contexts of people's lives, documents emic-etic aspects of cross-cultural research, and fosters collaborations with all stakeholders of the research project.

scholarly journals Evolutionary demography of age at last birth: integrating approaches from human behavioural ecology and cultural evolution

2018 ◽  
Vol 373 (1743) ◽  
pp. 20170060 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siobhan Mattison ◽  
Christina Moya ◽  
Adam Reynolds ◽  
Mary C. Towner
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Reproductive Behaviour ◽  
Interdisciplinary Studies ◽  
Synthetic Approach ◽  
Behavioural Ecology ◽  
Cultural Changes ◽  
General Decline ◽  
Kinship Ecologies ◽  
Demographic Behaviour ◽  
Cultural Evolutionary

Cultural evolutionary theory and human behavioural ecology offer different, but compatible approaches to understanding human demographic behaviour. For much of their 30 history, these approaches have been deployed in parallel, with few explicit attempts to integrate them empirically. In this paper, we test hypotheses drawn from both approaches to explore how reproductive behaviour responds to cultural changes among Mosuo agriculturalists of China. Specifically, we focus on how age at last birth (ALB) varies in association with temporal shifts in fertility policies, spatial variation and kinship ecologies. We interpret temporal declines in ALB as plausibly consistent with demographic front-loading of reproduction in light of fertility constraints and later ages at last birth in matrilineal populations relative to patrilineal ones as consistent with greater household cooperation for reproductive purposes in the former. We find little evidence suggesting specific transmission pathways for the spread of norms regulating ALB, but emphasize that the rapid pace of change strongly suggests that learning processes were involved in the general decline in ALB over time. The different predictions of models we employ belie their considerable overlap and the potential for a synthetic approach to generate more refined tests of evolutionary hypotheses of demographic behaviour. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Bridging cultural gaps: interdisciplinary studies in human cultural evolution’.

Empirical foundations for an integrated study of language evolution

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 188-229
Author(s):  
Gareth Roberts ◽  
Betsy Sneller
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Language Change ◽  
Language Evolution ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Similar Role ◽  
Level Change ◽  
Evolutionary Study ◽  
Cultural Evolutionary ◽  
Radical Shift ◽  
Integrated Study

Abstract Half a century ago, Uriel Weinreich, William Labov, and Marvin Herzog laid out a programmatic vision for the study of language change. This included establishing five fundamental problems for the field and a radical shift from a focus on idiolects to a focus on population-level change (grounded in their concept of orderly heterogeneity). They also expressed an explicit desire to see an integrated evolutionary study of language change. In spite of this, the newer fields of language evolution and cultural evolution make little contact with the field of sociolinguistics that emerged out of their work. Here we lay out a program, grounded in their five problems, for a more integrated future. We situate each problem in modern sociolinguistics and identify promising points for theoretical exchange, making comparisons with Tinbergen’s four questions, which play a similar role in the evolutionary sciences. Finally, we propose cultural-evolutionary experiments for making empirical progress.

Relevance of outcome measures in different cultural groups – does one size fit all?

2007 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 457-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen F. K. Chiu ◽  
Linda C. W. Lam
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Outcome Measures ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Assessment Instruments ◽  
Cultural Groups ◽  
Methodological Issues ◽  
Treatment Benefits ◽  
Cultural Research ◽  
Cross Cultural Research

It is estimated that 24 million people currently have dementia and that two-thirds of them live in developing countries. However, most of the assessment instruments for dementia have originated in developed countries. This paper explores the relevance of outcome measures in clinical trials of dementia drugs in different cultural groups, particularly in developing countries. The challenges of assessing treatment benefits in dementia in such groups include linguistic and cultural diversity, as well as high illiteracy rates, lack of human resources and the time constraints in assessment of patients. This paper also highlights methodological issues in cross-cultural research of cognitive assessment. Improvement in neuropsychiatric outcomes may be of particular importance to people in non-Western cultures. Functional outcomes and global outcomes are potentially useful outcome measures, but more studies are required in various countries. The use of biological markers such as neuroimaging and cerebrospinal fluid studies may not be practical in developing countries due to their costs and acceptability respectively. More work is also needed in the area of quality of life measures in various countries.

scholarly journals Learning approaches and studies of effect of environmental factors

2009 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Snezana Mirkov
Keyword(s):  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Approaches To Learning ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Cultural Research ◽  
Cross Cultural Research ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Different Cultures ◽  
3P Model

There is a presentation of 3P model of learning (Presage-Process-Product), which comprises learning approaches placed in a wider context of the set of variables related to personality, environment, process and outcomes of learning. Three approaches to learning - surface, deep and achievement-oriented - consist of motives and the corresponding learning strategies. There is a discussion of the findings and implications of a great deal of research using the instruments based on this model. We analyzed research findings about the effect of instruction on learning approaches acquired by pupils, and especially students. It is shown how based on learning approach employed by pupils it is possible to draw conclusions about the quality of instruction. Testing the instruments on various samples indicates that the model is applicable in different cultures. Cross-cultural research opened up the problem of relation between memorising and understanding. Further research is necessary, both empirical and theoretical, that is, development of conceptualization of these constructs, and especially their role in education. Perspectives for further research also open up in the direction of studying various factors connected with personality and their relations with learning approaches. The role of learning approaches of teachers in developing the learning approaches of pupils is yet to be examined.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document