Differences in Culture

Throughout this week, we have been discussing the differences we encounter from culture to culture. We talked of differences in language and daily lifestyles, we read an article regarding how cultures value time differently, and we even compared and contrasted toilets from different cultures. This reminded me of something we learned in AP Psychology recently. Researchers placed a basket with food, clothing, tools, etc. and asked a tribe in Liberia, the Kpelle tribe, to sort these items. Of course, we would sort the food with other food, the clothing with other clothing, and so forth. Members of this tribe didn't do this! Instead, they sorted a tool and a food together, the knife and the potato, because the knife is used to peel the potato. Then, the researchers asked them to sort the items the "fool's way" and they sorted the items exactly as we would. This shows that cultures develop different ways to see things around them. When we look at that basket, we place items together that are similar. When they look at the basket, they pair the items based on their functions. We respond differently, than other cultures do, to almost everything. In order to comprehend the world around us and avoid developing ingroups and outgroups, we must remind ourselves to see things cultures do/think as "different", not "wrong"