PSYC14H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Termite, Sept, Analog Science Fiction And Fact
Document Summary
Culture shapes many of the norms that govern our behaviour. Interpersonal space, when having a conversation with someone, you stand a certain distance from the person. Typical conversation distance is 35 inches in the united states, 32 inches in venezuela, and 40 inches in japan. Cultural differences can arise because different cultural backgrounds come into the world with rather similar genetic temperaments, yet interact with different environments as they grow up. 1 key adaption that enabled humans to distinguish themselves from their proto-chimpanzee ancestors was the ability to learn and accumulate cultural info so well. Without this ability to learn cultural info, we would likely still be competing with our distant chimpanzee relatives over territorial rights to some termite mounds. Cultural skills and knowledge are not in our heads from the beginning. Sensitive period: period of time in an organism"s development that allows for the relatively easy acquisition of a set of skills.
