UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE CHIMBORAZO

PEDAGOGY IN NATIONAL AND FOREIGN LANGUAGES

Student’s name: Rojas Joyce, Vilema Jefferson

Date: December 4th, 2020
Subject: LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Culture Definitions by Anthropologists

❖ Review the slides of the class and answer in your own words the following questions.

1. How Anthropologists define culture?

Anthropologists define culture as a set of behavior and ideas that we have acquired as a member
of society. Moreover, they stress that culture is not something we are born with. We learn it
over our lifetime. Culture can also define as a socially constructed reality that exists in the
minds of social group members.

2. What is the role of mental constructs?

The role of mental constructs is that they allow human beings to change their behavior or evolve
based on information and concepts created and collected by prior knowledge or perceptions of
the environment.

3. What is the function of selective pressure?

The function of selective pressure is to change the behavior and fitness of living organisms
within a given environment. It means that it is the driving force of evolution and natural
selection. In simple words, it helps to determine anything which might make it easier or harder
for a particular animal to survive and pass its genetic material on.

4. Write in 50 words one example of cultural dynamics

Changes in traditions are examples of cultural dynamics, like some holidays are celebrated in
different ways across various cultures or new traditions appear as others die out such as the
creation of state holidays for economic or nationalistic reasons. For example, in Ecuador people
have preferred to celebrate Halloween instead of respecting the Coat of Arms day.

5. What are the characteristics of cultural systems?

Each person has a distinctive cultural system because we all create a different perspective of
the world from our own experiences. In some cases, these systems can be shared by the
experience and stimuli that people lived. For example:
Many cultures have their own way of lifestyles, beliefs, thinking process, the way acts, which
are learned knowledge over time. Japanese kids are rigidly taught not to steal anything if it
does not belong to you. This is the reason why they have a high return on the lost items
including the cash