What is a frame?
- A frame is a shared scheme. That is a data-structure for representing a stereotyped situation (e.g. Being at childrens birthday party) and attached to each frame are several kinds of information.
- It is a network of nodes and relations.
- Frames are shared among people of a similar culture.
- Shared schemata are the root of culture. Sometimes we are taught these frames, but just by being exposed to them we already learn them.
What is the structure of a frame?
The top levels of a frame are fixed and represent things that are always true about the supposed situation. The lower levels have many terminals which must be filled by specific instances or data. Each terminal can specify conditions its assignments must meet. Normally a frame’s terminals are filled with default assignments.
What are the three levels that frames occur on?
- Individual
- Some of these frames are shared between people who belong to a common culture.
- Some of these frames may even be universal.
What is the basic claim made by cognitive cultural anthropology?
Shared schemata are at the root of culture. That leads to the question, how do schemata become shared?
According to cognitive cultural anthropology how does information-processing work?
● The cognitive system consists of a network of neurons. If a neuron is activated above a certain threshold value by other neurons or by a sensual stimulus it, in turn, sends a signal to other neurons.
● Neurons are linked by synapses. These synapses vary in strength.
● Each time two neurons are activated simultaneously, the synapses between them are strengthened.
According to cognitive cultural anthropology how do cultural models develop on the example of an italian restaurant?
- Enter an Italian Restaurant for the first time => neuronal clusters activated simultaneously => synaptic links between clusters strengthened.
- Repeat the experience several times. => After a number of repetitions, you only need partial input to activate all relevant clusters to beactivated => You have developed a Italian Restaurant frame.
- To the degree Italian Restaurants are similar, your frame will be shared with members of your culture. => Italian Restaurant Cultural Model.
What is the definition of culture in cognitive cultural anthropology?
„Culture […] consists of regular occurrences in the humanly
created world, in the schemata people share as a result of
these and in the interactions between these schemas and
this world.“
How was cognitive cultural anthropology’s base assumption defined in the lecture?
Because there are certain schemata that are shared in a given
culture, the material world, social institutions and mental
dispositions are the way they are. In simply being exposed to
these factors individuals, in turn, start to learn and to share the
underlying schemata
Some “regular occurences” are consciously planned, in order to promote a certain kind of memory, others are not.
What are the centripetal and centrifugal effects in the stability of cultural models?
What are high-level cultural themes?
Many of the different cultural Models follow similar patterns in a given culture.
What is the definition of a high-level cultural theme?
„[T]he messages that become most widely shared will be those stored in widely distributed cultural products, so that most people will encounter them in one form or other.
Much of the world is organized in such a way as to ensure that people in the same social environment will indeed experience many of the same typical patterns. This modal patterning is broadly characteristicof social life […].“
What are cultural themes?
- High-level Cultural Models
- They become visible in and coordinate many individual schemata in a given culture
- They manifest themselves in social and material dimension of culture and,
by simple cognitive processes, become shared elements of mentality - They are the interface between social, material and mental dimensions of culture
By which five methods can we find cultural models and themes according to Cognitive Cultural Anthropology?
- Analysis of Language (Interdiskursanalyse)
- Analysis of Material and Social Environment (Thick Description)
- In-depth Interviews
- Analysis of Social Conventions (Thick Description)
- Ratgeberliteratur
What are the advantages of cognitive cultural anthropology?
- Plausible model of interaction between material, social, and mental dimensions of culture
- Huge methodological toolbox
- Best able to explain cultural stability and cultural change
What are the disadvantages of Cognitive Cultural Anthropology?
- One needs large amounts of data from very different fields
- Influence of ideologies and political factors probably underrated
Definition of Cultural Memory
„Unter dem Begriff kulturelles Gedächtnis fassen wir den jeder
Gesellschaft und jeder Epoche eigentümlichen Bestand an
Wiedergebrauchs-Texten,-Bildern und-Riten zusammen, in deren
‘Pflege’ sie ihr Selbstbild stabilisiert und vermittelt, ein kollektives
Wissen, auf das eine Gruppe ihr Bewußtsein von Einheit und
Eigenart stützt.“
What are the features of Cultural Memory?
- Identitätskonkretheit (Groups establish their identity on the basis of Cultural Memory)
- Rekonstruktivität (Cultural Memory is constructed retrospectively on the basis of current needs)
- Geformheit (Cultural Memory is constructed retrospectively on the basis of current needs)
- Organisiertheit (Cultural Memory is institutionalised)
- Verbindlichkeit (Sharing cultural memory is necessary to be accepted as a member of a given group)
- Reflexivität (Cultural Memory mirrors self-definition of the group in question)
What is the difference between Hot Cultures and Cool Cultures?
Hot: Memory is decisive for identity and further development.
Cool: Memory is less decisive for identity and further development.
What is part of the Communicative Memory?
- Schemata
- Automatic by-products of information processing
- It is researched by the Cognitive Cultural Anthropology approach
What is part of the Cultural Memory?
- Myths
- Institutionalised Memory
- Identity construction
- It is researched by the Theory of Collective Memory
What is the relationship between Communicative and Cultural Memory?
Communicative Memory acts as a sort of testing ground for new schemata and collective symbols which if considered “fit” then become part of the cultural memory that is instrumental for construction of collective identity.
Explain the Model of Culture according to Cognitive Cultural Anthropology, Interdiskursanalyse and the Theory of Collective Memory.
According to the lecture, how can we find cultural models and themes?
- Through the analysis of language (Interdiskursanalyse)
- The analysis of material and social environment (Thick description)
- In-depth interviews
- Analysis of Social conventions
- Ratgeberliteratur (Conduct literature)
