The most practical idea that I learned from reading chapter one is the idea from Nisbett and his colleagues that “culture has an influence on how people categorize.” They conducted an experiment with a Chinese child and an American child. Each child was shown two groups of three pictures, one group included a mother, father, and child, the other group included a seagull, the sky, and a dog. Both children were asked which two from each group paired together. The Chinese child said that the mother and child went together as well as the sky and the seagull. The American child said that the mother and father went together, as did the dog and the seagull. Nisbett inferred that the Chinese child used a “contextual/ situational” view while the American …show more content…
I believe this is especially a practical idea because of the large amount of international students we have on our Penn State campus. The Critical Period Hypothesis, also known and CPH, states that children must acquire their first language before puberty if they are to ever acquire one at all. This hypothesis is based on feral children. Feral children are children raised in the wild and eventually find their way to civilization. There seems to be many real stories about feral children as well as films being made about them. I find this to be important for two reasons, one being from personal experience. In high school I decided to learn Spanish in high school (after puberty), it almost seemed impossible and eventually I gave up. A weaker version of CPH says that the first language will be more difficult to learn after puberty. I know this hypothesis focuses on a child learning their first language but it makes one think about learning a second language, do these ideas still apply? Personally I think that this hypothesis would relate to any child or adult learning a language whether it be their first or fourth language. The second reason I believe this idea to be important is for parents that are planning to move internationally where their first language isn't spoken in that country. These parents need to recognize the struggle that they are going to watch their child go through and if …show more content…
I believe culture gives a person an identity. Culture is how a person is raised, different religious beliefs, ethnicity or an individual's rituals and identifications. I would say that my culture is Native American and Catholic. As a Native American I have the right to vote, have my own opinion and make my own decisions, as does any individual no matter what their culture. A huge part of my culture and who I am is being Catholic. I’ve attended Catholic school for seventeen years, doing so has truly shaped me into the person I am today. Being Catholic has not only taught me so many things about my faith, but it has given me life lessons that i’ll never forget. A part of my Catholic religion is following the Ten Commandments along with attending Mass every sunday and all Holy holidays. One major aspect and an example of my Catholic culture is celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ on a holiday called Christmas that takes place on December twenty-fifth every year. This holiday is celebrated differently or even not at all in other religions. As a Catholic I celebrate this holiday by decorating and putting a “christmas tree” in my house, attending Mass, and celebrating with family members. A christmas tree, also known as an evergreen tree, is used because it is a tree that does not lose it’s leaves in the fall or winter, it symbolizes that Jesus’ spiritual life never dies. I believe the Christmas holiday is a great