It's a question many of us have pondered.

If I had been born somewhere else in another country, another community, another culture,

would I be the same person?

Would I think the same way?

Would I see the world differently?

Psychologists have long searched for universal truths about the human mind.

But another growing area of research asks a different question,

how much of what we think and perceived is shaped by the culture we grow up in.

Today we're going to talk to a psychologist who studies just that.

What aspects of human development are consistent across cultures and what things vary?

Can culture influence basic cognitive processes like

visual perception and numerical reasoning, not just beliefs and values? How does culture shape

children's cognitive development as they grow? And how do children themselves help shape

culture over time.

Welcome to Speaking of Psychology, the flagship podcast of the American Psychological Association that examines the links between psychological science and everyday life.

I'm Kim Mills.

My guest today is Dr. Dorsa Amir, an assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University, where she leads the mind and culture lab.

Her research explores how cultural environments shape the mind and how the mind in turn shapes culture.

She's worked with children and adults across the world, including the

Shuar people and indigenous community in the Amazon. She's published dozens of

articles in scientific journals and her research and writing have been featured in

media outlets including the Washington Post, Slate, Eon, and Scientific American. Dr.

...