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Culture and cognitive development

Publication ,  Journal Article
Tomasello, M
Published in: Current Directions in Psychological Science
January 1, 2000

Human beings are biologically adapted for culture in ways that other primates are not. The difference can be clearly seen when the social learning skills of humans and their nearest primate relatives are systematically compared. The human adaptation for culture begins to make itself manifest in human ontogeny at around 1 year of age as human infants come to undestrand other persons as intentional agents like the self and so engage in joint attentional interactions with them. This understanding then enables young children (a) to employ some uniquely powerful forms of cultural learning to acquire the accumulated wisdom of their cultures, especially as embodied in language, and also (b) to comprehend their worlds in some uniquely powerful ways involving perspectivally based symbolic representations.

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Published In

Current Directions in Psychological Science

DOI

ISSN

0963-7214

Publication Date

January 1, 2000

Volume

9

Issue

2

Start / End Page

37 / 40

Related Subject Headings

  • Experimental Psychology
  • 52 Psychology
  • 1702 Cognitive Sciences
  • 1701 Psychology
 

Citation

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ICMJE
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Tomasello, M. (2000). Culture and cognitive development. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 9(2), 37–40. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8721.00056
Tomasello, M. “Culture and cognitive development.” Current Directions in Psychological Science 9, no. 2 (January 1, 2000): 37–40. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8721.00056.
Tomasello M. Culture and cognitive development. Current Directions in Psychological Science. 2000 Jan 1;9(2):37–40.
Tomasello, M. “Culture and cognitive development.” Current Directions in Psychological Science, vol. 9, no. 2, Jan. 2000, pp. 37–40. Scopus, doi:10.1111/1467-8721.00056.
Tomasello M. Culture and cognitive development. Current Directions in Psychological Science. 2000 Jan 1;9(2):37–40.
Journal cover image

Published In

Current Directions in Psychological Science

DOI

ISSN

0963-7214

Publication Date

January 1, 2000

Volume

9

Issue

2

Start / End Page

37 / 40

Related Subject Headings

  • Experimental Psychology
  • 52 Psychology
  • 1702 Cognitive Sciences
  • 1701 Psychology