Question

Instructions

1.    In America, both boys and girls are encouraged to have careers outside of the home. In contrast, there are other countries in which girls are not only discouraged from working outside the home but also not permitted to have an education. Could such cultural differences contribute to cross-cultural sex differences in cognition?

2.    Many studies that assess cross-cultural cognitive differences rely upon meta analyses. Why do you think this is?

3.    Do different cultures value certain cognitive functions or skills more or less than other cultures? I would imagine that indigenous cultures, for example, value spatial skills more than western cultures.

4.    In Chapter 11, you learned about cognitive illusions and how they affect decision making. Do you think all cultures are affected equally by cognitive illusions? Why?

5.    We tend to think of cultures as independent entities with different values, customs, and beliefs. Can you think of any two cultures that actually have many commonalities? With so many similarities, how can these cultures be considered different?

Answer 1

Ans 1) Such cultures would definately contribute to cross cultural difference in terms of cognition. There nothing advantegeous or disadvantegous in this, it is just the way any culture perceives it. In the above mentined case, girls who are not permitted for working outside may develop great cooking skills, or good skills of homemaker, which a wman who is always outside may not develop. Women who tend to be at home can also be creative interms of knitting, stiching etc.

Ans 2) The aim of meta analysis is to provide the statiscal base for the people who disagree, to imporve the estimates. Meta analyis also helps in having sample data from different base. Hence over here women from all the cultures are taken into consideration.

Ans 3) Yes as discussed in question 1 different values view different cultural cognition. If spatial may be good for western women, they may not view cognition of raising family, marrying etc as the important milestones. Which is very important and deciding factor in for women of eastern culture.

Ans 4) Yes culture is affected by cognitive illusions. Women of western world may percieve spatial or going out , completing a project, etc as their dreams where as women of culture may have cognitive illusions of managing their families and work place, having balance between the both as the milestone.

Ans 5) Yes culture do have similarities inspite of differences. Most cultures pre dominantly have women taking care of house hold, liking some thing soft and calm music over the years as well as movies. Men tend to like action movies, politics across all the cultures. Most women like raising the kids and women tend to go outside. These cultures can have differences in perception. Some cultures may have idea as women to be at home, nurturing, doing small scale activities whereas another culture may have view of giving liberty to women, asking her to do whatever she likes either pursuing career or taking care of home. Hence the even though values may be same but the idea practising may be different.