psyc382 personal cards

etic research

researcher defined variables that are measured in similar ways across multiple cultural groups

cross cultural comparitive methods

can involve large and diverse samples

tends to focus on behaviors that can be quantified and compared across contexts

can identify patterns of variation and structure in human psychology

religion

structured and shared systems of belief and practice associated w the supernatural. not all cultural systems distinguish between religion and non religion

duty

cognitive science of religion

there is a panhuman cognitive structure that we are cross culturally constrained by.

intuitions determine which religious beliefs seem more plausible

proximate explanations

the way smth occurs in the here and now (how the retina words, how its processed into signals etc.)

ultimate explanations

the evolutionary processes that have led to a particular trait

natural selection will…

favor strategies that make many incorrect causal associations in order to establish those that are essential for survival and reproduction

hyperactive agency detection device

costs and benefits associated with different kinds of errors (bear v boulder)

the cost of false positives are low compared to false negatives

minimal counter intuitiveness

we make inferences about things in the world by using default templates

we automatically assign things to an ontological category (basic categories of being) and their relationships to one another

costly signalling theory

costly displays can evolve as honest signals of an important trait - these signals can provide benefits to both the signaler and the receiver

embodied religion

a locally distinctive package of rituals, ceremones, collective activities, and material symbolism

articulated religion

adds a stable narrative to embodied religion

answers big questions abt life

becomes increasingly social

ideological religion

adds a more elaborated moralistic doctrinal component to articulate religion

more costly, complex, and hierarchical

all kinships systems fall into…

6 broad categories

-- cross cultural diversity is sufficiently represented by only 6 despite the potential for unbridled variation

what causes the kinship system thing

cognitive complexity VS communicative costs

whats the thing abt tight and loose cultures

the harder life is, the more coordinated you have to be - more tight

highly dense - more collectivist

folk psychology

the everyday model ppl use to explain minds and behaviors

porosity of mind

the idea that the boundary between the mind and the world is permeable (wishes or curses might come true, emotions may linger in a room)

top down processing

the concepts and environments we learn have the potential to influence perceptual experiences

aristotles hiearchy of the senses

1. vision

2. hearing

3. touch

4. taste

   1. smell

sense and perception in te reo maori

rongo - all senses except sight

titiro - to look at/examine

kite - to see/percieve

three ways we categorize and communicate sensory info in english

descriptive/abstract (red)

source based (smells like…)

evaluative (tastes bad)

jahai

have a dozen odour verbs and thus had a higher codabilty of sense of smell among the jahai than the english

dimension of variation in songs

formality, arousal, religiosity

approximate number systems

expression of inexact quantities

exact restricted

exact quantity but restricted range of values

recursive

use recombination rules that allow unbounded representation of exact quantities

piraha

one-two-many system? gordon argues not even 1.

• language for exact number is a cultural invention rather than a linguistic universal

evolution

change in relative frequency of inherited traits in a population over generational time

gene culture coevolution theory

human evolution operates through dual inheritance, where social transmission of cultural traits alters natural selection pressures on genetic traits while cultural transmission modes can spread even individually maladaptive behaviors

cultural adaptation pre-empts genetic evolution