Key idea: Cognition is not the same everywhere: culture teaches people what to notice and remember.
Culture and cognition
1
Culture teaches
Each culture teaches what is important to notice and remember.
2
Attention
People learn to attend to the main object, or to the whole scene and its context.
3
Memory
Skills that matter in daily life, such as finding the way, become stronger.
Teach · Attend · Remember
Masuda and Nisbett (2001) showed Japanese and American students underwater scenes. Japanese students mentioned the background about 60% more often.
Go further: higher-level insight: Attention decides what can be remembered. A cultural difference in attention becomes a difference in memory.
Free preview
This is the free notes preview
You're reading the free notes. Aimnova Pro unlocks the full study experience — and you can try it with your first topic free to keep:
- FlashcardsLock in vocabulary and key terms with spaced repetition.
- Practice questionsAnswer exam-style questions and get instant AI marking.
- Mock exams & past-paper vaultSit full mocks and see exactly how examiners award marks.
- Personalised study planA daily plan built around your exam date and weak areas.
Start Studying Free Full access to Aimnova Pro · cancel anytime
Key idea: Culture shapes what people notice and remember, but culture is hard to separate from other differences between groups.
Strengths
- Shows cognition is not universal
- Links to daily life
- Replicated with other tasks
Limitations
- Groups differ in many ways
- Tasks may suit one culture
- Students or children only
Strong evaluation asks whether culture, schooling or familiarity with the task explains the result.
Watch out: Name the cultural factor. Say what in the culture would cause the difference.