PSYC14H3 Chapter 5: Chapter 5
Document Summary
Major assumption = we are all cultural beings. Cultural knowledge and skills is instinctual, they are hired wired, however, certain environmental experiences might be necessary to trigger them. We come into this world cultureless, but are prepared to adjust to and seize meaning from any environment. People from different cultures come into the world quite similar but end up having different life experiences attest to the powerful role that socialization occupies in influencing who we become. Human cultural learning continues throughout the lifespan, although the developmental trajectory of learning can vary across cultures. Most species go through a critical developmental transition from emphasizing the acquisition of new skills to emphasizing the specialization and the exploitation of the skills that have already been acquired. The success for learning a new language depends on when you started to learn the new language.
