Culture in Thought and Practice

nature/nuture debates
    social darwinism
    social biology
    psychic unity - do we all think alike?

the human brain:
                 
The "reptilian brain" (or R-complex) consists of the upper part of the spinal cord and the basal ganglia, the diencephalon, and parts of the midbrain--all of which sits atop the spinal column.  This is the seat of basic instincts, self-preservation, agression, sex drive.

The paleomammalian brain consists of the limbic system.  This controls body functions such as digestion, the fluid balance, body temperature and blood pressure (autonomic nervous system, hypothalamus).  Also the seat of emotions, basic memory.

The neomammalian brain (the neocortex) is composed of the massive grey matter that constitutes about 85 per cent of the human brain mass.  This is the "rational" brain.

*the basic structure of the brain is the same for all humans
*but there is neural placticity
*windows of opportunity and neural networks in the neocortex

some basics
how we perceive the world, from Kant to Boas and beyond
cognitive schema
cognitive models
scripts

Shore's typology:
1. personal mental models
        -ideosyncratic
        -malleable
        -can conflict with conventional models
2. conventional models
        -widely shared, socially sanctioned
-highly abstract or very specific (scripts)
        -become cultural resources for indivuals
3. instituted models
        -externalized, objectified conventional models
        -reaffirming the convention through public display
4. foundational schema
        -most abstract
        -link specific models into a larger predisposition
        -transposable dispositions

Strauss and Quinn
what is culture? form or meaning?

intrapersonal mental structures v. extrapersonal world structures
        cf. individual, conventional, and instituted models

cultural meaning as widely shared interpretations; makes cultural boundaries fuzzy

cognitive schema: abstract generic knowledge or dispositions
-what can be left unsaid, filling in the gaps
-assigning meanings
-cf. habitus, foundational schema

An American Address System
1. linguistic script model (from Susan Ervin-Tripp 1969):

2. connectionist model