TY - JOUR
T1 - Enhanced Cognitive Flexibility in the Seminomadic Himba
AU - Pope, Sarah M.
AU - Fagot, Joël
AU - Meguerditchian, Adrien
AU - Washburn, David A.
AU - Hopkins, William D.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2018.
PY - 2019/1/1
Y1 - 2019/1/1
N2 - Through codified rule-use, humans can accurately solve many problems. Yet, mechanized strategies can also be costly. After adopting a solution strategy, humans often become blind to alternatives, even when those alternatives are more efficient. Termed cognitive set, this failure to switch from a familiar strategy to a better alternative has been considered universally human. Yet, our understanding of this phenomenon is derived almost exclusively from Western subjects. In this study, we used the nonverbal Learned Strategy–Direct Strategy (LS-DS) touchscreen task in which subjects are presented with an opportunity to use either a learned strategy or a more efficient, but novel, shortcut. We found that the remote, seminomadic Himba of northern Namibia exhibited enhanced shortcut-use on the LS-DS task, challenging the claim that cognitive set affects humans universally. In addition, we found that altering subjects’ conceptualization of the shortcut as a viable option significantly enhanced its subsequent use in Western but not Himba participants. We discuss how other aspects of cultural variation, namely, environmental uncertainty and educational background, might contribute to the observed cross-cultural differences in flexible strategy-use.
AB - Through codified rule-use, humans can accurately solve many problems. Yet, mechanized strategies can also be costly. After adopting a solution strategy, humans often become blind to alternatives, even when those alternatives are more efficient. Termed cognitive set, this failure to switch from a familiar strategy to a better alternative has been considered universally human. Yet, our understanding of this phenomenon is derived almost exclusively from Western subjects. In this study, we used the nonverbal Learned Strategy–Direct Strategy (LS-DS) touchscreen task in which subjects are presented with an opportunity to use either a learned strategy or a more efficient, but novel, shortcut. We found that the remote, seminomadic Himba of northern Namibia exhibited enhanced shortcut-use on the LS-DS task, challenging the claim that cognitive set affects humans universally. In addition, we found that altering subjects’ conceptualization of the shortcut as a viable option significantly enhanced its subsequent use in Western but not Himba participants. We discuss how other aspects of cultural variation, namely, environmental uncertainty and educational background, might contribute to the observed cross-cultural differences in flexible strategy-use.
KW - cognitive flexibility
KW - cognitive set
KW - problem solving
KW - shifting
KW - switching
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85056081057&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85056081057&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0022022118806581
DO - 10.1177/0022022118806581
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85056081057
SN - 0022-0221
VL - 50
SP - 47
EP - 62
JO - Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology
JF - Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology
IS - 1
ER -