Causal asymmetry across cultures: Assigning causal roles in symmetric physical settings
In the cognitive sciences, causal cognition in the physical domain has featured as a core research topic, but the impact of culture has been rarely ever explored. One case in point for a topic on which this neglect is pronounced is the pervasive tendency of people to consider one of two (equally imp...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2011-09-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00231/full |
| _version_ | 1818367987065815040 |
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| author | Andrea eBender Sieghard eBeller |
| author_facet | Andrea eBender Sieghard eBeller |
| author_sort | Andrea eBender |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In the cognitive sciences, causal cognition in the physical domain has featured as a core research topic, but the impact of culture has been rarely ever explored. One case in point for a topic on which this neglect is pronounced is the pervasive tendency of people to consider one of two (equally important) entities as more important for bringing about an effect. In order to scrutinize how robust such tendencies are across cultures, we asked German and Tongan participants to assign prime causality in nine symmetric settings. For most settings, strong asymmetries in both cultures were found, but not always in the same direction, depending on the task content. This indicates that causal asymmetries, while indeed being a robust phenomenon across cultures, are also subject to culture-specific concepts. Moreover, the asymmetries were found to be modulated by figure-ground relations, but not by marking agency. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T23:00:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-883aaf6dc0df4af8b398c0b0b1c8c13f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T23:00:47Z |
| publishDate | 2011-09-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-883aaf6dc0df4af8b398c0b0b1c8c13f2022-12-21T23:28:24ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782011-09-01210.3389/fpsyg.2011.0023113390Causal asymmetry across cultures: Assigning causal roles in symmetric physical settingsAndrea eBender0Sieghard eBeller1University of FreiburgUniversity of FreiburgIn the cognitive sciences, causal cognition in the physical domain has featured as a core research topic, but the impact of culture has been rarely ever explored. One case in point for a topic on which this neglect is pronounced is the pervasive tendency of people to consider one of two (equally important) entities as more important for bringing about an effect. In order to scrutinize how robust such tendencies are across cultures, we asked German and Tongan participants to assign prime causality in nine symmetric settings. For most settings, strong asymmetries in both cultures were found, but not always in the same direction, depending on the task content. This indicates that causal asymmetries, while indeed being a robust phenomenon across cultures, are also subject to culture-specific concepts. Moreover, the asymmetries were found to be modulated by figure-ground relations, but not by marking agency.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00231/fullagencycultureasymmetry biascausal cognitionfigure-ground distinctionlinguistic cues |
| spellingShingle | Andrea eBender Sieghard eBeller Causal asymmetry across cultures: Assigning causal roles in symmetric physical settings Frontiers in Psychology agency culture asymmetry bias causal cognition figure-ground distinction linguistic cues |
| title | Causal asymmetry across cultures: Assigning causal roles in symmetric physical settings |
| title_full | Causal asymmetry across cultures: Assigning causal roles in symmetric physical settings |
| title_fullStr | Causal asymmetry across cultures: Assigning causal roles in symmetric physical settings |
| title_full_unstemmed | Causal asymmetry across cultures: Assigning causal roles in symmetric physical settings |
| title_short | Causal asymmetry across cultures: Assigning causal roles in symmetric physical settings |
| title_sort | causal asymmetry across cultures assigning causal roles in symmetric physical settings |
| topic | agency culture asymmetry bias causal cognition figure-ground distinction linguistic cues |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00231/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT andreaebender causalasymmetryacrossculturesassigningcausalrolesinsymmetricphysicalsettings AT sieghardebeller causalasymmetryacrossculturesassigningcausalrolesinsymmetricphysicalsettings |