The Role of Culture in Learning and Development
Different cultures view learning in different ways. The expectations of one community might be entirely different than those of another. These varying priorities can create different learning outcomes across many different subjects and disciplines.
Case Study: creativity Vs Intelligence
A study showed that parents in the United States viewed students as creative when they deviated from a learned model. Meanwhile, parents in Vanuatu viewed students as intelligent when they precisely imitated what they had learned.
Muller-Lyer Illusion
Susceptibility to illusions
The Muller-Lyer Illusion causes a line to appear longer or shorter depending on the angle of the surround lines. Students who grew up in urban areas are more likely to fall for the illusion than students who grew up in more natural environment.
Students from different cultures reach different developmental benchmarks at different times. Culture can affect how early a child is able to hold their head upright as well as how the child perceives him/herself within society. Cognitive processes such as memory and perception are also impacted by culture. There are no universal benchmarks for measuring development - everyone learns in a unique way that is greatly impacted by environmental factors.