Bridging cultural sociology and cognitive psychology in three contemporary research programmes

Abstract

Three prominent research programs in cognitive psychology would benefit from a stronger engagement with the cultural context of cognition: studies of poverty focused on scarcity and cognitive bandwidth (CB); of the dual-process model of moral judgment (DPM); and of biases using the implicit association test (IAT). We address the blind spots common to these programs and suggest research strategies for moving beyond an exclusive focus on cognition. Research on poverty using the CB approach would benefit from considering the cultural schemas that influence how people perceive and prioritize needs. DPM researchers could explain variation by analysing cultural repertoires that structure moral choices. Research using the IAT can better explain implicit attitudes by addressing the variability in cultural schemas that undergird biases. We identify how these research programs can deepen the causal understanding of human attitudes and behaviours by addressing the interaction between internal cognition and supra-individual cultural repertoires.