Cultural Learning Redux. Issue 3 (May 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Tomasello, Michael
• Is Part Of: Child development. Volume 87:Issue 3(2016:May/Jun.)
• Page Start: 643
• Page End: 653
• Publication Date: 2016-05
• Subjects: Child development -- Periodicals; Child psychology -- Periodicals; Child Development -- Periodicals; Child Development; Pediatrics -- Periodicals; Pedicatrics; 305.231
• DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12499
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0009-3920

Abstract

Abstract : M. Tomasello, A. Kruger, and H. Ratner (1993) proposed a theory of cultural learning comprising imitative learning, instructed learning, and collaborative learning. Empirical and theoretical advances in the past 20 years suggest modifications to the theory; for example, children do not just imitate but overimitate in order to identify and affiliate with others in their cultural group, children learn from pedagogy not just episodic facts but the generic structure of their cultural worlds, and children collaboratively co‐construct with those in their culture normative rules for doing things. In all, human children do not just culturally learn useful instrumental activities and information, they conform to the normative expectations of the cultural group and even contribute themselves to the creation of such normative expectations.