General Psychology and Platonism Overview

General Psychology and Platonism

• General Psychology attempts to identify universal, underlying mental processes.
• Platonism suggests that true reality is abstract and obscured by "noise" we experience.
• This aligns with general psychology’s focus on isolating mental processes from cultural influences.
• Example: The CPU analogy simplifies the human mind into a core processing system.

Levels of Universality

• Accessibility universal: A psychological process exists in all cultures, is used to solve the same problems, and is accessible to the same degree.
• Functional universal: A process exists across cultures, used for similar problems but accessibility varies by culture.
• Existential universal: A process exists in multiple cultures, but not necessarily used for the same problem, and its accessibility varies.
• Non-Universal: A process is specific to a single culture.

Accessibility vs. Functional Universality

• Example: Theory of Mind (understanding others' mental states) is considered an accessibility universal.
• Example: Logical reasoning is a functional universal; Westerners are more likely to apply logical rules compared to East Asians.
• Cultural exposure influences this: North Americans are more familiar with formal logic.

Intuitive vs. Counter-Intuitive Syllogisms

• Study: Participants respond to syllogisms (logical statements) where some are intuitive (easy to understand), others are counter-intuitive (conflict with real-world knowledge).
• Westerners excelled in counter-intuitive syllogisms, focusing on logical structure rather than real-world context.
• East Asians struggled with counter-intuitive syllogisms, prioritizing context over logical structure.
• This demonstrates functional universality: logical reasoning is present in both cultures, but accessible to different degrees.

Existential Universality: Persistence

• Example: Americans and Japanese are more likely to persist on a task after success feedback, but respond differently to failure feedback.
• Americans persist less but still try, while Japanese persist more, motivated to improve.
• This example highlights existential universality: Both cultures value persistence, but the motivation behind it differs based on cultural values.

Cultural Differences in Learning: Imitative vs. Emulative Learning

• Imitative learning: Focusing on the model's intention and internalizing their goals & strategies.
• Emulative learning: Focusing on the model's actions, engaging in trial and error to achieve similar results.
• Study: Chimps vs 2-year-old children using a rake to retrieve an object.
• Children imitated the model's technique (teeth up/down) even if it was less effective.
• Chimps used the most effective technique (teeth up) regardless of the model's method.
• This demonstrates that children use imitative learning, while chimps use emulative learning.

Cultural Accumulation and Ratcheting Effect

• Imitative learning enables faithful reproduction and refinement of skills, allowing for cultural accumulation.
• This "Ratcheting Effect" explains the progression of cultural knowledge over time.
• Emulative learning limits cultural accumulation as it relies on individual trial and error, hindering the transmission of learned knowledge.

Why Do Primates Have Big Brains?

• One factor: Electronic Entertainment (25%)
• Another factor: Generational Differences (living through significant events)
• Flynn Effect: People becoming more intelligent due to increasing education levels, complex pop culture, and stimulating video games.

Cultural Persistence in the Face of Change

• Cultures build upon existing structures, influenced by their origins and early conditions.
• Examples:
  • Social Institutions in Northern Italy (egalitarian) vs. Southern Italy (hierarchical)
  • Well-being of American immigrants compared to their original cultures.

Cultural Variations in Consistency

• Westerners tend to be more consistent across situations, while East Asians show consistency within specific relationships (family vs. friends).
• Americans benefit more from consistency, linking it to well-being, social skills, and likeability.
• Koreans show weaker correlation between consistency and those factors.

Conclusion

• General psychology seeks universal mental processes, while cultural psychology recognizes the role of culture in shaping these processes.
• The levels of universality provide a framework for understanding how cultural influences affect psychological phenomena.
• Cultural variations in learning, consistency, and even intelligence demonstrate the dynamism of human minds and cultures.