Cultural psychology as a bridge between anthropology and cognitive science.
The theory and methods of cultural psychology begin with the assumption that psychological processes are socioculturally and historically grounded. As such, they offer a new approach for understanding the diversity of human functioning because they (a) question the presumed neutrality of the majority group perspective; (b) take the target's point-of-view (i.e., what it means to be a person in a particular context); (c) assume that there is more than one viable way of being a competent or effective person; and (d) provide a road map for understanding and reducing social inequities. As illustrated in this essay, a cultural psychological approach provides a bridge between anthropology and the cognitive sciences, and in so doing it offers an alternative set of explanations and interventions for group differences.
Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA. fryberg@u.arizona.edu
Stephanie A
SA
Fryberg
D000883:Anthropology; D003071:Cognition; D019336:Cognitive Science; D003469:Culture; D006801:Humans; D011582:Psychological Theory; D011584:Psychology