Core Folkbiological Concepts: New Evidence from Wichí Children and Adults
In: Journal of Cognition and CultureaInstituto de Investigaciones Lingüísticas (INIL), Facultad de Humanidades, Universidad Nacional de Formosa (UNaF), Av. Gutnisky 3200, 3600 Formosa, Argentina bDepartment of Psychology, Northwestern University, Swift Hall 102, 2029 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208-2710, USA cConsejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (National Research Council), Instituto Rosario de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Educación, IRICE, 27 de Febrero 210bis, 2000 Rosario, Argentina * Corresponding author, e-mail: ataverna@conicet.gov.ar
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Abstract
We examine two core folk-biological concepts (e.g., animate, living thing, where small capital letters denote concepts; quotation marks denote their names; italics denote language-specific names) in adults and children from the Wichí community, an indigenous group of Amerindians living in the Chaco forest in north Argentina. We provide an overview of the Wichí community, describing in brief their interaction with objects and events in the natural world, and the naming systems they use to describe key folkbiological concepts. We then report the results of two behavioral studies, each designed to deepen our understanding of the acquisition of the fundamental folkbiological concepts animate and living thing in Wichí adults and children. These results converge well with evidence from other communities. Wichí children and adults appreciate these fundamental concepts; both are strongly aligned with the Wichí community-wide belief systems. This work underscores the importance of considering cultural and linguistic factors in studying the acquisition of fundamental concepts about the biological world.
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Core Folkbiological Concepts: New Evidence from Wichí Children and Adults
In: Journal of Cognition and CultureaInstituto de Investigaciones Lingüísticas (INIL), Facultad de Humanidades, Universidad Nacional de Formosa (UNaF), Av. Gutnisky 3200, 3600 Formosa, Argentina bDepartment of Psychology, Northwestern University, Swift Hall 102, 2029 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208-2710, USA cConsejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (National Research Council), Instituto Rosario de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Educación, IRICE, 27 de Febrero 210bis, 2000 Rosario, Argentina * Corresponding author, e-mail: ataverna@conicet.gov.ar
Search for other papers by Andrea S. Tavernaa in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Sandra R. Waxman in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Douglas L. Medin in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Olga A. Peralta in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
We examine two core folk-biological concepts (e.g., animate, living thing, where small capital letters denote concepts; quotation marks denote their names; italics denote language-specific names) in adults and children from the Wichí community, an indigenous group of Amerindians living in the Chaco forest in north Argentina. We provide an overview of the Wichí community, describing in brief their interaction with objects and events in the natural world, and the naming systems they use to describe key folkbiological concepts. We then report the results of two behavioral studies, each designed to deepen our understanding of the acquisition of the fundamental folkbiological concepts animate and living thing in Wichí adults and children. These results converge well with evidence from other communities. Wichí children and adults appreciate these fundamental concepts; both are strongly aligned with the Wichí community-wide belief systems. This work underscores the importance of considering cultural and linguistic factors in studying the acquisition of fundamental concepts about the biological world.
| All Time | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 382 | 56 | 9 |
| Full Text Views | 102 | 1 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 35 | 6 | 1 |