Inferring the Tsimane's use of color categories from recognition memory

Pernille Hemmer, Kimele Persaud, Celeste Kidd, Steven Piantadosi

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Knowledge of color has strong individual, environmental, and cultural differences that may systematically influence performance in cognitive tasks. For example, color knowledge has been shown to influence recall of color (Persaud & Hemmer, 2014). This manifests as a systematic regression to the mean effect, where memory is biased towards the mean hue of each universal color category. What remains unclear is whether differences, such as culture and environment, might differentially influence memory. We tested recognition memory for color in the Tsimane' of Bolivia; an indigenous population with little or no modern schooling, whose environment is very different from industrialized societies. We found that recognition regressed towards the mean of some universal color categories, but for others was systematically biased toward neighboring categories. A cluster analysis suggested that the Tsimane' use five underlying color categories-not the standard universals. This might be shaped by education, language and the environment.

Original languageAmerican English
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 37th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, CogSci 2015
EditorsDavid C. Noelle, Rick Dale, Anne Warlaumont, Jeff Yoshimi, Teenie Matlock, Carolyn D. Jennings, Paul P. Maglio
PublisherThe Cognitive Science Society
Pages896-901
Number of pages6
ISBN (Electronic)9780991196722
StatePublished - 2015
Event37th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society: Mind, Technology, and Society, CogSci 2015 - Pasadena, United States
Duration: Jul 23 2015Jul 25 2015

Publication series

NameProceedings of the 37th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, CogSci 2015

Conference

Conference37th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society: Mind, Technology, and Society, CogSci 2015
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityPasadena
Period7/23/157/25/15

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Computer Science Applications
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Cognitive Neuroscience

Keywords

  • Episodic memory
  • Expectations
  • Prior knowledge
  • Tsimane'
  • color

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