Cultural Neuroscience: Learning from Both Culture and the Brain
Abstract:
Cultural neuroscience is an emerging field of research that examines the interdependencies among culture, brain, and genes, with the ultimate goal of elucidating how the mind functions in varying socio-cultural contexts. By investigating both brain plasticity and genetic variability in differing societies and cultures, it seeks to overcome the nature-nurture dichotomy that has plagued social and behavioral sciences for so long. In the present talk, I will present an overview of the field, review empirical evidence on cultural influences on the brain, and discuss how my experience with Japanese culture has shaped and informed my own thinking in this area.
Originally from Japan, Shinobu Kitayama received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, where he is currently Robert B. Zajonc Collegiate Professor of Psychology and the Director of the Center for Culture, Mind, and the Brain. He also co-directs the Summer Institute of Cultural Neuroscience held annually in June in Ann Arbor. His research focuses on cultural variations in cognition, emotion, and motivation. In the recent years, he has used neuroscience measures such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalogram (EEG) to investigate the nature of dynamic, recursive interaction between culture and the brain.
