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Sociocultural Perspectives on Adolescent Autonomy

Kathleen Boykin McElhaney and Joseph P. Allen

in Adolescence and Beyond: Family Processes and Development

This chapter explores how cultural and economic circumstances shape the nature, meaning, and consequences of strivings for autonomy in adolescence. It highlights research that demonstrates that the ... More

This chapter explores how cultural and economic circumstances shape the nature, meaning, and consequences of strivings for autonomy in adolescence. It highlights research that demonstrates that the ways in which parents respond to adolescent strivings for autonomy have been linked to multiple aspects of adolescent adjustment. The challenge, however, is to recognize that there are variations across cultural groups in the degree to which autonomy is valued relative to loyalty and deference to the family. In addition to variations across cultural groups in the degree to which autonomy is a cherished goal, some parents are likely to find themselves in circumstances in which environmental influences, such as dangerous neighborhoods, may propel them to exert greater control over their adolescent children in order to protect their well-being. The chapter provides a roadmap for understanding how seemingly universal goals, such as the promotion of autonomy during adolescence, may take on different meanings and be accomplished in different ways depending on context and culture.Less

Evolution of Moralitys 1

Edouard Machery and Ron Mallon

in The Moral Psychology Handbook

This chapter examines whether morality really evolved, as many philosophers, psychologists, anthropologists, and biologists claim. It distinguishes three possible versions of this claim and reviews ... More

This chapter examines whether morality really evolved, as many philosophers, psychologists, anthropologists, and biologists claim. It distinguishes three possible versions of this claim and reviews the evidence in support of each. It concludes that two versions of the claim that morality evolved are relatively well supported, but that they are unlikely to have significant philosophical consequences, while the stronger version, which is of real interest to philosophers, is in fact empirically unsupported.Less

Moral Evolution

Shaun Nichols

in Sentimental Rules: On the Natural Foundations of Moral Judgement

This chapter turns to the genealogy of “harm norms,” norms against causing pain and suffering to others. The chapter sets out a range of historical and anthropological facts that need to be captured ... More

This chapter turns to the genealogy of “harm norms,” norms against causing pain and suffering to others. The chapter sets out a range of historical and anthropological facts that need to be captured by a genealogy of harm norms. In particular, an adequate genealogy needs to explain the broad similarities and differences in harm norms across cultures and the characteristic evolution of harm norms. One prominent explanation for these facts appeals to moral progress. This chapter proposes an alternative account of the genealogy of norms that draws on the central thesis of chapter 6, that norms which resonate with our emotions will be more likely to survive.Less

Mothers as Teachers at Home

Robert A. Levine, Sarah E. Levine, Beatrice Schnell-Anzola, Meredith L. Rowe, and Emily Dexter

in Literacy and Mothering: How Women’s Schooling Changes the Lives of the World's Children

This chapter examines evidence from Mexico, Venezuela and Nepal indicating that experience in Western-type schools influences’ women’s maternal behavior in a pedagogical direction, involving verbal ... More

This chapter examines evidence from Mexico, Venezuela and Nepal indicating that experience in Western-type schools influences’ women’s maternal behavior in a pedagogical direction, involving verbal responsiveness to and verbal engagement with preschool children and the tutoring of school-aged children. The studies differed in method and developmental focus but all found signs not only of the pedagogical trend but also of literacy as a mediator of school experience on maternal behavior. In Mexico and Nepal there was also evidence that mothers’ schooling positively influenced children’s competence in early literacy tasks such as vocabulary and word recognition. The findings indicate that the schooling of women is re-shaping the communicative experience of children in many parts of the world, preparing them for participation in Western-type schools, though without eliminating cultural variations in pedagogy and other parental practices.Less

Methods and Sources

Leland Donald

in Aboriginal Slavery on the Northwest Coast of North America

This chapter describes the sources of information and the methods used to arrive at the statements and conclusions in this book about slavery in the Northwest Coast of North America. It explains the ... More

This chapter describes the sources of information and the methods used to arrive at the statements and conclusions in this book about slavery in the Northwest Coast of North America. It explains the concept of the approach developed to establish generalizations about Northwest Coast cultures, specifically the tribal unit sample, and discusses cultural variations in space and the problem of change over time. The chapter highlights the problem of missing information and the bias in some sources used for the book.Less

How Culture May Change Assumptions in Antitrust Policy

Thomas K. Cheng

in The Global Limits of Competition Law

This chapter asks whether economic concepts that underpin competition law doctrines are culture-specific. Most microeconomic and industrial organization theories have been developed in Western ... More

This chapter asks whether economic concepts that underpin competition law doctrines are culture-specific. Most microeconomic and industrial organization theories have been developed in Western countries. It is possible that the validity of these concepts diminishes when economic actors behave differently across cultures. It notes that divergence across cultural norms means that firms and consumers may behave differently from country A to country B. The analysis focuses on two areas of competition law—cartels and vertical restraints. After explaining how some traditional assumptions about behavior in each setting may vary based upon culture, it suggests that cultural considerations may require fine-tuning of competition analysis and enforcement under some limited circumstances. It explains that cultural variations may undermine the feasibility of a one-size-fits-all approach to antitrust that some scholars and policy makers have embraced in recent years.Less

Economics, Sex, and the Emergence of Society: A Dynamic Life History Model of Cultural Variation

Douglas T. Kenrick and Luis Gomez-Jacinto

in Advances in Culture and Psychology

Cultural variations in social norms have sometimes been taken as evidence against evolved universal predispositions. This chapter discusses several cultural variations—including male competitiveness, ... More

Cultural variations in social norms have sometimes been taken as evidence against evolved universal predispositions. This chapter discusses several cultural variations—including male competitiveness, ages of marriage partners preferred by men and women, prevalence of bride price versus dowry, and polygyny versus polyandry. The chapter reviews these cultural variations in light of relevant principles from evolutionary life history theory. An evolutionary life history model considers behavioral variation through the lens of evolutionary economics—asking how any given pattern of behavior might be a manifestation of universal tradeoffs that all organisms must make as they attempt to optimally allocate their inherently limited resources. Discussion considers how cultural norms can emerge dynamically from interactions between individuals making selfish choices based on underlying evolved decision-biases.Less

Methodological Aspects of Cross-Cultural Research

Fons J. R. van de Vijver

in Handbook of Advances in Culture and Psychology, Volume 5

The dual ancestry of cross-cultural research methods is described, rooted in both experimental, quantitative psychology and qualitative ethnography and anthropology. These disciplines have worked ... More

The dual ancestry of cross-cultural research methods is described, rooted in both experimental, quantitative psychology and qualitative ethnography and anthropology. These disciplines have worked independently in the past, although advancement in the field is contingent on their fruitful integration. Overviews are given of recent methodological developments, such as bias and equivalence, adaptations, and mixed methods. It is argued that adequate cross-cultural theories and methods should combine individual and cultural variation, accommodating both cultural specifics and universal features. Such an overarching framework is now largely absent in cross-cultural psychology. Interdisciplinary cooperation is increasingly needed to cope with the methodological challenges of this overarching framework.Less

Accounting for Schengen: Cultures of Border Control and Their Evolution

in Cultures of Border Control: Schengen and the Evolution of European Frontiers

This chapter reviews the main tenets of the three cultures of border control that define the European case (“Westphalia,” “Schengen,” and “Brussels”). It also discusses the concept of “cultural ... More

This chapter reviews the main tenets of the three cultures of border control that define the European case (“Westphalia,” “Schengen,” and “Brussels”). It also discusses the concept of “cultural evolution” by offering the main mechanisms—variation and selection—accounting for the emergence of Schengen as a new dominant culture of border control in Europe. It describes some methodological issues that this work raises, particularly the operationalization of the concepts of culture and cultural evolution. Members of the border control community can belong to several communities at the same time, and “move” from one to the other according to the circumstances. “Schengen” referred to the intergovernmental initiative that resulted in the creation of the Schengen regime, while “Brussels” considered the parallel project developed in the context of the European Union. The final stage of the cultural process pertained to the mechanism allowing a newly selected culture to persist over time.Less

2 Social Network Analysis and the Practice of History

John Edward Terrell

in Network Analysis in Archaeology: New Approaches to Regional Interaction

This chapter suggests that archaeologists spend too little time on the practice of history. Instead, they often take it for granted that the results of their efforts and formal analyses contribute ... More

This chapter suggests that archaeologists spend too little time on the practice of history. Instead, they often take it for granted that the results of their efforts and formal analyses contribute more or less directly to historical understanding with scant attention to E. H. Carr's famous question What is history? Rather than having to assume beforehand that archaeologists can and must identify socially bounded human collective entities in the past (e.g., social groups, societies, chiefdoms, and states), what is needed are ways for archaeologists to discover what the patterning of cultural variation in the past may tell us about how people lived without having to presuppose that they lived not just in society, but in archaeologically identifiable societies. With this need in mind, it is argued that modern social network analysis is both a body of theory and a set of relatively new computer-aided techniques used in the analysis and study of relational data ideally suited to such an analytical and interpretative objective.Less

Commentary: Dealing with Conflicts of Interest: Is Virtue Ethics Tough Enough?

Alastair V. Campbell

in The Future of Bioethics: International Dialogues

Although Virtue Ethics (VE) is an important approach to medical ethics, it may not be adequate for meeting the ever-increasing conflicts of interest in modern health care. There are several ... More

Although Virtue Ethics (VE) is an important approach to medical ethics, it may not be adequate for meeting the ever-increasing conflicts of interest in modern health care. There are several weaknesses in the approach: idealism, not able to be matched by all practitioners; cultural variations in professional values; and the effects of peer influences on values. But VE may be of some help, if it is backed up by tougher regulation and by a realization by doctors that they can find fulfilment (Eudaimonia) only if they put patient welfare ahead of their own material gain.Less

Can Archaeologists Study Processes of Invention?

Michael Brian Schiffer

in Innovation in Cultural Systems: Contributions from Evolutionary Anthropology

This chapter evaluates cultural variation from a behavioral perspective. It develops that argument by situating invention within the overarching context of technological change; evaluating the ... More

This chapter evaluates cultural variation from a behavioral perspective. It develops that argument by situating invention within the overarching context of technological change; evaluating the archaeological visibility of the major technological processes—invention, development, replication, and adoption—and furnishing examples of invention models that have arisen in an expanded ethnoarchaeology, a research strategy that uses historical evidence. This chapter suggests that an expanded ethnoarchaeology may furnish invention models of potential archaeological utility. It shows that it is useful to build invention models that determine the factors in specific behavioral contexts that are likely to encourage inventive spurts.Less

Against Arguments from Reference

Ron Mallon, Edouard Machery, Shaun Nichols, and Stephen Stich

in Collected Papers, Volume 1: Mind and Language, 1972–2010

This chapter focuses on arguments that derive philosophically significant conclusions from the assumption of one or another theory of reference—what are called “arguments from reference.” It first ... More

This chapter focuses on arguments that derive philosophically significant conclusions from the assumption of one or another theory of reference—what are called “arguments from reference.” It first considers the structure of arguments from reference, and reviews a number of projects in several areas of philosophy that employ such arguments. It then shows that while intuitions about reference are central in the philosophy of language for finding the correct theory of reference, the recent empirical work of Machery and colleagues suggests that intuitions about reference vary both within and across cultures. Next, it takes the variation suggested by this empirical work for granted and considers its implications for arguments from reference. It concludes that arguments from reference ought to be relinquished.Less

South Asian Religions in the United States: New Contexts and Configurations

Karen Leonard

in New Cosmopolitanisms: South Asians in the US

This chapter looks at South Asian groups in the United States such as Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, and Zoroastrian, who practice in historical and traditional ways, and contrasts them ... More

This chapter looks at South Asian groups in the United States such as Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, and Zoroastrian, who practice in historical and traditional ways, and contrasts them with contemporary groups who have adapted to hybridized forms with local Americanized variations. It argues that such a contrast coexists with a revivalist fervor that mirrors the religious fundamentalism, here in the United States, of their homeland cultures. The chapter also addresses the concept of the “value of homeland religions” in South Asian communities. It distinguishes between identarian politics of patriarchal and gender confluences in what Stuart Hall sees as diasporic practices, and what Pnina Werbner calls transnational, cultural variations, to suggest a new, “reconfigured community of believers”.Less

Cultural Transmission from the Last Common Ancestor to the Levallois Reducers: What Can We Infer?

Stephen J. Lycett

in Squeezing Minds From Stones: Cognitive Archaeology and the Evolution of the Human Mind

Given the gap between ape and human cultural capacities, the question of what we can infer about evolving cultural capacities during the course of human evolution presents itself. Tom Wynn has ... More

Given the gap between ape and human cultural capacities, the question of what we can infer about evolving cultural capacities during the course of human evolution presents itself. Tom Wynn has stressed the importance of a comparative (cross-species) approach and the idea of inferring only the minimal capacities required to explain archaeological phenomena in cognitive terms. In this chapter, these principles are applied to infer what can reasonably be determined about cultural transmission capacities in extinct hominins from the last common ancestor to the producers of Levallois. Although much remains to be learned, and a provisional model must caution against false negatives and false positive attributions, the approach yields reasonable inferences regarding our evolving cultural capacities over the long stretch of time from the end of the Miocene through to the later Middle Pleistocene. This situation also leads to a position where possible avenues of future enquiry might usefully be identified.Less

The Empirical Findings

Edouard Machery

in Philosophy Within Its Proper Bounds

Chapter 2 is the first systematic review of the empirical findings suggesting that the judgments influenced by philosophical cases vary across demographic groups (culture, gender, age, SES, ... More

Chapter 2 is the first systematic review of the empirical findings suggesting that the judgments influenced by philosophical cases vary across demographic groups (culture, gender, age, SES, personality, etc.) and are influenced by the way cases are presented (order and framing effects). While the empirical record remains spotty, a striking picture is beginning to emerge. Nearly every examined philosophical case, from nearly every area of philosophy, elicits either judgments varying across demographic groups or different judgments depending on how the case is presented. While the size of the effects is rarely large, it is often philosophically significant.Less

Extending Evolutionary Accounts of Religion beyond the Mind: Religions as Adaptive Systems

Benjamin Grant Purzycki, Omar Sultan Haque, and Richard Sosis

in Evolution, Religion, and Cognitive Science: Critical and Constructive Essays

Current cognitive approaches to religion maintain that religion evolved as a by-product of cognitive mechanisms that were naturally selected for functions unrelated to religion. In the present ... More

Current cognitive approaches to religion maintain that religion evolved as a by-product of cognitive mechanisms that were naturally selected for functions unrelated to religion. In the present chapter it is argued that it is necessary to widen the scope of analyses to encompass religious concepts, behaviour, and sharedness, and how they interact with each other and with the environment. This approach offers a more dynamic evolutionary explanation of religion that is not only able to account for a greater number of recent findings, but is also more plausible amidst competing theories. Some of the strengths and weaknesses of the leading evolutionary explanations of religion are discussed, and it is shown that there are both promising avenues of research which lie ahead, as well as important steps in evaluating, integrating, and extending such accounts.Less

Speaker’s Reference and Cross-Cultural Semantics

Edouard Machery, Justin Sytsma, and Max Deutsch

in On Reference

Machery et al. (2004) have presented data suggesting that, while most Americans have Kripkean (i.e., causal–historical) intuitions about the reference of proper names, a majority of Chinese have ... More

Machery et al. (2004) have presented data suggesting that, while most Americans have Kripkean (i.e., causal–historical) intuitions about the reference of proper names, a majority of Chinese have descriptivist intuitions. A common criticism of this reported cross-cultural variation is that the vignettes used to probe their participants’ intuitions about reference, and asked questions that are ambiguous with regard to the distinction between speaker’s reference and semantic reference. This chapter describes several studies using vignettes designed to elicit answers that were not ambiguous between speaker’s reference and semantic reference. The findings suggest that genuine intuitions about semantic reference vary both across and within cultures.Less

Folk Psychology and Tacit Theories: A Correspondence between Frank Jackson, and Steve Stich and Kelby Mason

Frank Jackson, Kelby Mason, and Steve Stich

in Conceptual Analysis and Philosophical Naturalism

This chapter presents correspondence between Frank Jackson, and Steve Stich and Kelby Mason. The goal of showing the exchange here is to understand where the differences lie in their notions about ... More

This chapter presents correspondence between Frank Jackson, and Steve Stich and Kelby Mason. The goal of showing the exchange here is to understand where the differences lie in their notions about the nature of folk psychology and the relevance of various putative facts about cross-cultural variation in intuition. They pose questions for each other with the objective of clarifying each other’s positions in a productive manner. It discusses topics like the subpersonal versus personal level question, the relationship between folk psychology and folk theories, and issues regarding intuition. A major topic of discussion here is whether folk psychology is something in the head—an internalized theory, so to speak—or not.Less