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The past few decades have seen a huge increase in global interest
in psychology, with more psychologists, psychology programmes and
students than ever before. Culture and Cognition: A collection of critical
essays is made up of chapters written by experts in each topic, and
is aimed at those wishing to learn more about psychology. While cul-
ture and cognition have frequently been regarded as separate areas of
study in psychology, this book brings together essays on both of these
topics as well as several that consider the direct interplay between
culture and thinking.
Essays focus on a range of fascinating topics, such as how culture af-
fects memory for events in our own lives or our perceptions of human
attractiveness. Essays also address a diverse range of psychologi-
cal phenomena like déjà-vu, savant abilities, non-suicidal self-injury,
theory of mind, problem gambling and sleep disorders. Socio-cultural
and professional issues specifically within the Asian context are also
discussed.

Shamsul Haque is Head and Associate Professor of Psychology at


Monash University Malaysia. He earned his BSc (Honours) and MSc
in Psychology from the University of Dhaka, and PhD in Cognitive
Psychology from the University of Bristol, UK. Previously he was
Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Dhaka, and Assistant
Professor at the International Islamic University Malaysia.

Elizabeth Sheppard is Head and Associate Professor of Psychology


at the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus. She earned her BA
(Honours) in Experimental Psychology from the University of Oxford,
and MSc and PhD in Psychology from the University of Nottingham,
UK. From 2015, she will be affiliated with Nottingham Trent University.

www.peterlang.com
Culture and Cognition
Shamsul Haque &
Elizabeth Sheppard (eds.)

Culture and
Cognition
A collection of
critical essays

PETER LANG
Bern · Berlin · Bruxelles · Frankfurt am Main · New York · Oxford · Wien
Bibliographic information published by die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche
Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data is available on the Internet
at ‹http://dnb.d-nb.de›.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data: A catalogue record for this book


is available from The British Library, Great Britain

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015932284

Shamsul Haque is supported by a publication grant from the Jeffrey Cheah School of
Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, and Elizabeth Sheppard by
the Nottingham University Malaysia campus. The editors thank both institutions for
their support.

ISBN 978-3-0343-1558-6 pb. ISBN 978-3-0351-0826-2 eBook

This publication has been peer reviewed.

© Peter Lang AG, International Academic Publishers, Bern 2015


Hochfeldstrasse 32, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
info@peterlang.com, www.peterlang.com

All rights reserved.


All parts of this publication are protected by copyright.
Any utilisation outside the strict limits of the copyright law, without the permission
of the publisher, is forbidden and liable to prosecution.
This applies in particular to reproductions, translations, microfilming, and storage
and processing in electronic retrieval systems.
Contents

Preface................................................................................................... 9

Part I: Overview

Shamsul Haque and Elizabeth Sheppard


Introduction..........................................................................................13

Part II: Cultural Influence on Cognitive Processes

Steve M. J. Janssen and Shamsul Haque


Cultural life scripts in autobiographical memory................................ 27

Ian D. Stephen and Tan Kok Wei


Healthy body, healthy face? Evolutionary approaches
to attractiveness perception..................................................................45

Gregory B. Bonn
Why culture matters: Social context and how we make
sense of our lives.................................................................................. 67

Karen Jennifer Golden and Jeanette Liaw Hui Jean


Understanding neurodevelopmental disorders in context:
Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Family System............................. 83
6 Contents

Part III: Cognitive Psychology and Neuroscience

Peter Mitchell
Developing a theory of mind............................................................. 109

Elizabeth Sheppard
Savant abilities and Autism Spectrum Disorders............................... 123

Radka Jersakova, Akira R. O’Connor and Chris J. A. Moulin


What’s new in déjà vu?...................................................................... 137

Matthew R. Johnson
Model systems of thought: A neuroscience perspective
on cognitive frameworks.................................................................... 151

Ruth C. Tatnell and Penelope A. Hasking


Emotion regulation, the anterior cingulate cortex
and non-suicidal self-injury............................................................... 163

Marisa H. Loft
Sleep-related problems and their contributing factors....................... 179

Part IV: Psycho-Social and Professional


Issues in the Asian Context

Miriam S. Park
Changing family perceptions across cultures:
The Malaysian context....................................................................... 197

Cai-Lian Tam and Qiu-Ting Chie


Factors influencing voting behaviour in Malaysia............................. 211
Contents 7

Jasmine M. Y. Loo
A primer in problem gambling........................................................... 223

Alvin Lai Oon Ng


Clinical psychology in Malaysia: Roles and issues........................... 241

About the editors................................................................................257

List of contributors............................................................................. 259


Preface

In recent years, interest in psychology has been growing worldwide.


Globally, there has been a steady rise in the number of Universities
offering degree courses in psychology. From our own marketing and re-
cruitment activities we have observed that prospective students and their
families have a serious interest in psychology, and many aspire to build
a career as a practising or academic psychologist – but their knowledge
of the subject is often rather limited. Moreover, some have misconcep-
tions about what the discipline actually involves. Many people may also
be unfamiliar with some of the exciting recent developments in psy-
chological science, which have given rise to a greater variety of career
options for psychology graduates than ever before.
This book of essays aims to meet the need of such individuals for
up-to-date information about some selected areas of psychology, writ-
ten in an accessible style but retaining a definite academic flavour. The
individuals who contributed are all scholars who are active in research,
and publishing in their respective fields. Many of them are relatively
young, “up-and-coming” researchers whose work will shape the future
of the discipline. This book comprises fourteen essays which have been
carefully selected from the domain of cognitive and social psychology.
The essays are split into three sections; the first section comprises four
essays that show how socio-cultural factors influence cognition, the
second contains six essays highlighting a number of basic cognitive
processes, and the last section comprises four essays presenting various
psycho-social and professional issues in the Asian context. We hope
that this book will inspire current and future students of psychology, as
well as offer an insight into psychology that is accessible and readable
by the broader community.
Part I
Overview
Shamsul Haque and Elizabeth Sheppard

Introduction

Psychology is a fast-moving discipline and has witnessed some import-


ant developments in recent years. These changes have arisen partly from
the wide variety of new and sophisticated methods for investigation
which have become available. For example, brain imaging techniques
such as functional magnetic resonance imaging have enabled us to start
determining the neural underpinnings of thought and behavior. Mean-
while, eye-tracking technologies can be used to identify with a high
degree of precision where a person is looking, allowing researchers to
make inferences about the ways in which people perceive, attend to,
and ultimately come to know their environment. However, it is not just
technology that has had a major impact on psychology as a modern
discipline. Society itself is becoming increasingly globalized and this
leads to an ever-changing set of challenges for psychologists who aim
to understand the mind and behavior in this context. Due to the faster
pace of development, people who are interested to learn about psy-
chology often face difficulty in finding materials that address current
issues in the subject, while being relatively accessible. In this collection
of essays, some popular topics in contemporary social and cognitive
psychology are discussed by academics who are specialists in the field.
The broader theme of this volume is “culture and cognition”. We
carefully selected fourteen essays that form three distinct parts of this
book. The first part comprises four essays that stand at the crossroads
of culture and cognition, showing how socio-cultural variables (e.g.,
cultural models) influence thinking – the ways in which people interpret
their experiences and guide action in diversified life contexts. The sec-
ond part contains six essays that discuss the basic cognitive processes
likely to be associated with different types of behavior in different age
groups. The third part is made up of four essays that discuss social and
professional issues in psychology in the Asian context. Although social
psychology and cognitive psychology are often studied as standalone
14  Shamsul Haque and Elizabeth Sheppard

domains (at least they are often portrayed this way in text books), they
are necessarily interrelated and influence each other in a reciprocal
manner (see for a review Nisbett & Norenzayan, 2002). Several essays
in this volume show the robustness of this link between culture and
cognition with the support of currently available data.
Many early scientists and philosophers, including Wilhelm Wundt
who is regarded as the father of experimental psychology, recognized the
importance of studying both cognitive processes and cultural diversities
in order to understand human nature. For him, human psyche is better
understood when laboratory studies on cognitive processes are supple-
mented with evidence from culture in which a person lives (Wundt,
1916). In this context, he emphasized the role of cultural history, folk
theories, ethnography, and linguistic tradition. Even before Wundt, a
number of German scholars, known as folk psychologists, dealt with
the study of the collective mind, meaning a societal way of thinking
within the individual. The concept of collective mind, later termed
as group mind, was studied by other scholars such as Gustav LeBon
(1896/1908), William McDougall (1920), and Solomon Asch (1951).
The main essence of these studies was to understand the complexities
of an individual’s behavior in the presence of other group members and
within their interpersonal relationships.
Systematic research on human behavior in cultural contexts,
however, started only after World War II. This trend grew rapidly in
1960s, 70s, and 80s with a number of ground-breaking studies that
were published (see Adler & Gielen, 2001; Hogan & Sussner, 2001;
Triandis, 1980 for an overview). Unfortunately, most of these studies
were conducted with participants either from Northwestern Europe or
North American cultures. In this context, a group of cross-cultural psy-
chologists from Asia and other non-Western countries advocated for
a paradigm shift, which initiated a large number of studies within a
new research framework called indigenization of psychology (Azuma,
1984; Bond & Smith, 1996; Diaz-Guerrero, 1975; Enriquez, 1977; Kao,
1997; Kim, 1993; Kwon, 1979; Lau & Hoosain, 1999; Legmay, 1984;
Pandey, 1996; Sinha, 1986; Yang, 1997). According to them, while ex-
amining the cultural issues of behavior and cognition, informal folk
theories of human functioning that are specific to a particular culture
should be studied with care and formalized in current psychological
Introduction 15

theories (Greenfield, 2001). A large number of studies have been con-


ducted in the recent decades in Asia and other parts of the world along
this line (see for example, Liu & Woodward, 2013; Mozumder, 2013).
The first part of this book contains four essays that address how
culture affects cognition. In the first essay, Steve Janssen and Shamsul
Haque (chapter 2) discuss cultural beliefs about the timing of import-
ant life events. They examine why people recall significantly more
memories of personal experiences from adolescence and early adult-
hood compared to the adjacent lifetime periods – a phenomenon pop-
ularly known as reminiscence bump. They review current literature
that favours life script theory over cognitive and identity theories to
explain this phenomenon. The life script – prescriptive time line for
transitional life events (i.e., age to start college, complete graduation,
get married, have children and retire) and its cross-cultural variations
are thoroughly discussed. The authors argue that older adults tend to
recall more memories from the bump period because most memo-
ries encompassing the bump are highly positive, and the timing for
such memories is dictated by the life scripts prevailing in a particular
culture. Unlike the other two theories, the life script theory explains
adequately why there is no bump for negative memories as the society
does not have any expectations about when negative events should
occur (e.g., death of a close relative, personal sickness, loosing job,
and divorce).
Why do we find certain individuals beautiful? Ian Stephen and Tan
Kok Wei (chapter 3) discuss psychological approaches to physical at-
tractiveness in the second essay. They focus on the question of whether
attractiveness is subjective and culturally determined or whether there
are certain features of appearance that are widely and globally regarded
as attractive. The chapter discusses a variety of aspects of appearance
for which there are fairly clear attractiveness preferences across cul-
tures, including face and body shape, skin colour and texture, and sexual
dimorphism. The authors go on to review research which shows that
these same aspects of appearance provide cues to one’s actual state of
physical health. It is argued that these findings support the notion that
humans have evolved mechanisms for identifying whether members
of the opposite sex are healthy in order to maximise their chances of
reproductive success.
16  Shamsul Haque and Elizabeth Sheppard

Gregory Bonn (chapter 4) discusses how the culture in which peo-


ple grow shapes their overall perspective on life: their preferences, be-
liefs and practices, and the way they make sense of their existence. The
need for interdependence and learning from others is discussed from an
evolutionary perspective. It is reiterated that cultural training through
which people learn social norms, values, expectations, and practices
is largely implicit, often invisible to the individual. To signify the role
of society, it is stated that the acquisition of language, which requires
a brain with integrated neural networks and some perceptual abilities, is
measurably molded by social contact. The chapter discusses in some de-
tail how children learn to talk about their own life experiences through
the process of cooperative storytelling in a socially approved manner.
How the ability to tell a coherent life story during adolescence is de-
veloped and how it is associated with the development of an individual
identity is discussed at length.
In the fourth essay (chapter 5), Karen Jennifer Golden and Jeanette
Liaw Hui Jean offer a snapshot of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) – a
neurodevelopmental disorder, generally diagnosed during early child-
hood, with a growing number of cases reported worldwide. Apart from
discussing the cognitive and behavioral patterns associated with ASD,
the authors highlight the complexities of their social functioning; how
families of children with ASD are affected by this condition. Various
sub-systems of family with particular importance are addressed, such
as the parental subsystem, the marital subsystem, the sibling subsystem
and the extended family subsystem. Although the authors indicate that
causes for ASD are still unidentified and there is “no cure” for ASD,
they talk about some treatment options. Early interventions, especially
with comprehensive behavioral treatments and combined multi-modal
treatments (e.g., incorporating speech therapy, occupational therapy,
modeling, and social skills training) are suggested to be helpful to chil-
dren with ASD. Finally the authors speculate on how the cultural con-
text may impact on ASD including through perceptions/beliefs about
the condition and coping strategies.
The second part of the book is composed of six essays covering a
range of topics in contemporary cognitive psychology. Cognitive psy-
chology became popular in the 1960s and has been the mainstay of
experimental psychology since then. It arose to prominence as a reaction
Introduction 17

to the Behaviorist movement which had dominated psychology in the


first half of the 20th Century. Behaviorists such as John Watson (e.g.
Watson, 1913) or B.F. Skinner (e.g. Skinner, 1954) argued that because
mental states (such as thoughts, beliefs, desires, feelings) are not directly
observable they are not amenable to scientific investigation – hence in
order for psychology to be an objective natural science, psychologists
should stick to studying behavior which is directly observable. The early
cognitive scientists such as Noam Chomsky (e.g. Chomsky, 1959) dis-
agreed about this, claiming that many complex behaviors e.g. language
can be understood much more effectively if we make inferences about
the internal mental processes mediating those behaviors. The develop-
ment of cognitive psychology was boosted by advances in computer sci-
ence, which enabled increasingly sophisticated computer simulations
of mental processes. These models allowed cognitive psychologists to
demonstrate how a system could implement specific functions of the
mind, bringing the focus of investigation back to the processes them-
selves rather than merely behavior. More recently, cognitive psychology
has been influenced by the development of brain imaging techniques
which have been applied in the field to map mental processes onto brain
regions and gain a greater understanding of the timing of mental events.
This discipline, known as cognitive neuroscience, has kept the study of
cognition at the forefront of psychological research.
The first chapter in this part of the book (chapter 6) discusses an
area known as “Theory of Mind”. Many of us wish, from time to time,
that we possess some psychic power or can at least better work out
what other people (such as our friends, family or spouses) are think-
ing or feeling. In this essay, Peter Mitchell addresses psychologists’
investigations of our ability to make judgments about other people’s
thoughts, beliefs and feelings, referred to in the literature as “Theory
of Mind”. The essay informs us about some of the classic studies that
have explored the development of this capacity in children, with a
particular emphasis on the biases we have in making judgments about
others’ minds. The essay also includes sections addressing research
that demonstrates individual and cross-cultural differences in how we
make these judgments.
The second essay (chapter 7) maintains the theme of ASD, focus-
ing on one particularly fascinating aspect of the condition. We’ve all
18  Shamsul Haque and Elizabeth Sheppard

seen movies about people who have a diagnosis of autism but display
almost superhuman talents in certain specific areas of performance.
In this chapter, Elizabeth Sheppard discusses autistic savants, individ-
uals who have an autism spectrum disorder but nevertheless display
outstanding, disproportionate talent in a particular area of functioning
(such as music, mathematics or memory). The chapter focuses mainly
on savant artists as a means of illustrating some of the theories psychol-
ogists have proposed to explain savant skill. In addition, it sheds light
on some questions relating to this puzzling syndrome, such as whether
savant skills can be differentiated from normal talents and why savant
abilities appear to be closely associated with having a diagnosis of an
autism spectrum disorder.
In the third essay (chapter 8), Radka Jersakova, Akira O’Connor,
and Chris Moulin discuss an interesting topic called déjà vu – a phe-
nomenon in which people have a strong subjective feeling that an event
which just occurred has been experienced in the past, no matter whether
it actually happened or not. So why do people experience déjà vu then?
The authors discuss two theories; bottom-up and top-down theories.
According to the bottom-up theory, déjà vu is elicited by something
in the environment that triggers this unique internal response. In sup-
port of this account, similarity hypothesis – the idea that the situation
eliciting the déjà vu is in some way similar to a prior experience – is
particularly discussed, with support from the most recent laboratory ex-
periments. The top-down theory, however, suggests that déjà vu is a
“random mental event” which is a result of incorrect neural activations.
Towards the end, the authors discuss the possibility of there being more
than one type of déjà vu, and other methodological issues related to déjà
vu research.
The fourth essay (chapter 9) sees Matthew Johnson discussing
one of the key challenges involved with experimental psychological
research: how to investigate a system as complex as the human mind
or nervous system while at the same time maintaining experimental
control in a laboratory context. He advocates a ‘components approach’
to understanding human thought, whereby the basic building blocks of
consciousness are studied in simplified laboratory tasks. The chapter
starts by discussing the use of animal models, whereby researchers will
frequently investigate traits or behaviors in relatively simple organisms
Introduction 19

such as the fruit fly or sea slug in order to make inferences about these
features in humans. It is then argued that by the same token, we can
design experiments which isolate individual key aspects of human
thought while controlling others. The chapter ends by discussing some
of the work that the author has conducted on the fundamental nature of
thought.
The fifth essay (chapter 10) written by Ruth Tatnell & Penelope
Hasking discusses non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), defined as the delib-
erate destruction of body tissue that is performed without any conscious
intent of suicide. This behavior is associated with huge psychological
distress, and seen as a risk factor for more severe self-injury and later
suicidal behavior. The reasons why people would self-injure is the main
focus of this chapter. The authors indicate that the primary function of
NSSI is to regulate emotion; people injure themselves at a time when
they experience heightened arousal and negative affect and by doing
this act they decrease their mental agony. The chapter also reviews find-
ings revealing the neurobiological correlates of NSSI. Evidence from
EEG, MRI and fMRI studies suggests that the anterior cingulate cortex
in the limbic system regulates emotional behavior such as non-suicidal
self-injury.
It is really difficult to find someone who has never experienced
a sleep problem at some point in their life, yet a good night’s sleep
is the precursor of optimal functioning during day time. Marisa Loft
(chapter 11) discusses the importance of sleeping well in our daily life.
The question would arise then, how to measure the quality of sleep? This
chapter highlights various subjective and objective ways to determine if
someone is sleeping well along with the factors which contribute to bad
sleep. In this context, work-related demands, and immediate environ-
mental factors are discussed. Special attention is given to sleep-related
issues in at-risk populations such as factory workers, problem gamblers
and children with autism. Based on the insights offered, this chapter
should help readers recognise how they may be able to take action to
improve their own sleep.
The third part of the book consists of four essays that examine
psycho-social and professional issues in the Asian context with partic-
ular reference to Malaysia. In the first essay (chapter 12), Miriam Park
examines how people form their views and attitudes toward family, and
20  Shamsul Haque and Elizabeth Sheppard

what role culture plays in this process. The author focuses on the family
perceptions prevailing in Malaysia – a country that has been experi-
encing rapid social, political, and economic changes in recent decades.
A number of theories of family change are discussed to identify what
factors influence the perception of family centeredness and democrati-
zation. Cross-cultural studies on family perceptions are reviewed and a
pattern demonstrated in these studies, where people from individualistic
cultures show more non-traditional family views as compared to collec-
tivist cultures, is discussed. The chapter also introduces individual-level
factors (e.g., values and beliefs toward the “self ” and personal self in re-
lation to close others) that influence family views and attitudes. Finally,
how rapid economic growth would help promote egalitarian decision
making in the family, better and higher education for all, and women’s
participation in workplace, thus resulting in liberalizing effects on
family perceptions and gender roles will be discussed.
Cai-Lian Tam and Qiu-Ting Chie (chapter 13) explore the psy-
chology of voting behavior with a view to demystifying people’s voting
choices in the recent General Election (2013) in Malaysia. The chapter
discusses the impact of both psychological (such as decision making
processes, personality and peer conformity) and demographic factors
(such as education level, income, gender, occupation, and age) on vot-
ing behavior. Based on their review of the literature, the chapter goes
on to speculate on factors which may specifically affect voting within
the Malaysian context, tackling issues such as the influence from
friends and family, general level of political interest, and corruption.
The chapter finishes by highlighting the need for more research on this
particular topic in future.
Jasmine Loo (chapter 14) discusses the nature and prevalence of
problem gambling in the Asian region by examining factors that are
likely to be responsible. In this context, mood states (depression and
anxiety), personality traits, and dysfunctional cognitions are identified
as potential reasons for problem gambling. Various approaches to treat
such problems are discussed in detail, with particular attention to cog-
nitive behavior therapy and positive psychological methods. A further
section is dedicated to the tools, together with their psychometric prop-
erties, commonly used to assess problem gambling. Finally, the author
discusses issues relating to the problem gambling assessment tools that
Introduction 21

are developed in the Western countries such as USA, UK and Canada,


and are used in the Asian context without proper validation and contex-
tualization.
In the final essay (chapter 15), Alvin Lai Oon Ng discusses the
current status of clinical psychology in Malaysia. Clinical psychology
as a profession is relatively new in the country as compared to psy-
chiatry and counseling. As such, it naturally faces a lot of challenges
such as registration issues, professional regulation, training, and clin-
ical supervision. Although a new generation of locally and overseas
trained clinical psychologists is visible in the market place, the response
from the wider community is rather discouraging. The chapter indi-
cates that more awareness campaigns and advertisements are needed
to help the public understand the role of clinical psychologists so that
they become more interested to seek professional assistance from them.
It is suggested that negotiation with the government is needed to pass
legislation to establish the Psychology Board of Malaysia to guide the
profession, and create more jobs for clinical psychologists in public and
private hospitals. The author also recommends that efforts should also
be taken to work with insurance companies to let them understand the
need to cover costs for mental health services by the health policies.

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Part II
Cultural Influence on
Cognitive Processes
Steve M. J. Janssen and Shamsul Haque*1

Cultural life scripts in autobiographical memory

When people are referring to the memories they have of their own life
experiences, they speak of autobiographical memory (Robinson, 1986).
Autobiographical memory is taxonomically speaking a part of episodic
memory, but autobiographical memories are more complex than epi-
sodic memories. They can involve seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting,
and touching, and they can vary greatly in spatial, temporal, emotional
and narrative content (Rubin, 2005). Autobiographical memory con-
sists of both vivid memories and autobiographical facts (Brewer, 1986;
Cermak, 1984; Conway, 1987).
When looking at the temporal distribution of autobiographical
memory, one can distinguish three components (Rubin, Rahhal, &
Poon, 1998; Rubin, Wetzler, & Nebes, 1986). First, people hardly re-
call any personal events from the period before early childhood, which
is called childhood or infantile amnesia. They only start to remember
events from the ages of 3 or 4 years. Second, there is an increased recall
of events from the last five to ten years, because these recent memories
are less likely to be forgotten than distant memories. Third, people tend
to recall more personal events from the period in which they were be-
tween 10 and 30 years old than from adjacent lifetime periods, which is
called the reminiscence bump. In Figure 1 which is taken from Janssen,
Rubin, and St. Jacques (2011), we have given 12 typical lifetime distri-
butions of autobiographical memories recalled by participants between
the ages of 16 and 75. To make the figure easier to read, the distributions
were divided over three panels.

* The authors thank Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia for supporting


the publication of this work through a Fundamental Research Grant Scheme
(FRGS/2/2010/ST/MUSM/01/2). The authors also thank Prof. Ali Tekcan for
providing his research data for the meta-analyses reported in this chapter.
Another random document with
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intended to be so,) toward the men who
were disabled in the late war, but a large
majority of the prison survivors are excluded
from a pension under these laws. This
comes partly from the unfriendly spirit in
which the pension department has been
administered for the last six years, and partly
from the peculiar circumstances surrounding
their several cases.
Many paroled prisoners, on reaching the
Union lines were at once sent home on
furlough, without receiving any medical
treatment. The most of these were
afterwards discharged under General Order
No. 77, dated War Department, Washington,
D. C., April 28th, 1865, because physically
unfit for service, and hence there is no
official record whatever as to their disease.
If one of those men applies for a pension,
he is called upon to furnish the affidavit of
some army surgeon who treated him after
his release and prior to discharge, showing
that he then had the disease on which he
now claims a pension. For reasons stated,
this is impossible. The next thing is a call to
furnish an affidavit from some doctor who
treated the man while at home on furlough,
or certainly immediately following his final
discharge, showing that he was then afflicted
with identical disease on which pension is
now claimed. This is generally impossible,
for many reasons.
In most cases the released prisoner felt it
was not medicine he wanted, but the kindly
nursing of mother or wife, and nourishing
food. So no doctor was called, at least for
some months after reaching home. In the
instances where the doctor was called, not
infrequently he cannot now be found, cannot
swear that the soldier had any particular
disease for the first six months after
reaching home, as he was a mere skeleton
from starvation, and it required months of
careful nursing before he had vitality enough
for a disease to manifest itself.
Then again in many cases the poor victim
has never suffered from any particular
disease, but rather from a combination of
numerous ills, the sequence of a wrecked
constitution commonly termed by physicians,
“General Debility.” But the commissioner
refuses to grant a pension on disease save
where the proof is clear and positive of the
contracting of a particular disease while in
the service, of its existence at date of final
discharge, and of its continuous existence
from year to year for each and every year, to
present date.
In most cases it is impossible for a prison
survivor to furnish any such proof, and
hence his application is promptly rejected.
Besides these, there are hundreds of other
obstacles in the way of the surviving prisoner
of war who applies for a pension. One thing
is, he is called upon to prove by comrades
who were in prison with him, the origin and
nature of his disease, and his condition prior
to and at the time of his release. This is
generally impossible, as he was likely to
have but few comrades in prison with whom
he was on intimate terms, and these, if not
now dead, cannot be found, they are men
without sufficient knowledge of anatomy and
physiology, and not one out of a hundred
could conscientiously swear to the origin and
diagnosis of the applicant’s disease. Is it not
ridiculous for the government to insist upon
such preposterous evidence? Which, if
produced in due form, is a rule drawn up by
the applicant’s physican, and sworn to by the
witness—“cum grano salis,”—and in most
cases amounts to perjury for charity’s sake.
Hence, it will be seen the difficulties
surrounding the prison survivor who is
disabled and compelled to apply for a
pension are so numerous and
insurmountable as to shut out a very large
majority of the most needy and deserving
cases from the benefits of the general
pension laws entirely.
We claim, therefore, that as an act of
equal justice to these men, as compared
with other soldiers, there ought to be a law
passed admitting them to pensions on record
or other proof of confinement in a
confederate prison for a prescribed length of
time—such as Bill 4495—introduced by the
Hon. J. Warren Keifer, M. C., of Ohio
provides for. And if this bill is to benefit these
poor sufferers any, it must be passed
speedily, as those who yet remain will, at
best, survive but a few years longer.
This measure is not asked as a pencuniary
compensation for the personal losses these
men sustained, as silver and gold cannot be
weighed as the price for untold sufferings,
but it is asked that they may be partly
relieved from abject want, and their
sufferings alleviated to some extent by
providing them with the necessaries of life,
for nearly all of them are extremely poor,
consequent on the wreck of their physical
and mental powers.
LIST OF THE DEAD

The following are those who died and were buried


at Andersonville, with full name, Co., Regt., date of
death and No. of grave in the Cemetery at that place,
alphabetically arranged by States. The No. before
each name is the same as marked at the head of the
graves. The list will be found to be very accurate.
ALABAMA.
Sept
7524 Barton Wm Cav 1L 64
1
Berry J M, S’t 1 May
2111 “
A 17
1 Aug
4622 Belle Robert “
A 3
1 Aug
5505 Boobur Wm “
E 13
Sept
8425 Brice J C “ 1L
11
Sept
8147 Guthrie J “ 1 I
8
1 June
2514 Henry P “
F 26
996 Jones Jno F “ 1 Mar
K 15
1
4715 Mitchell Jno D Aug 4
A
1 Aug
5077 Ponders J Cav
H 8
Aug
5763 Panter R 1L
15
1 Aug
6886 Patterson W D
K 25
1 June
2504 Prett J R
F 3
1
10900 Redman W R Cav Oct 14
G
Aug
4731 Stubbs W 1 I
4
Total 15.

CONNECTICUT.
14 June
2380 Anderson A 64
K 23
16 July
3461 Batchelder Benj
C 17
16 July
3664 Baty John
C 19
14 Aug
7306 Brunkissell H
D 30
14 July
2833 Brennon M
B 3
7 July
3224 Burns Jno
I 12
10414 Blumly E 8 Oct
D 6
Apr
545 Bigelow Wm 7B
14
Nov
11965 Ball H A 3B
11
8 Nov
12089 Brookmeyer T W
H 18
16 Nov
12152 Burke H
D 24
Dec
12209 Bone A 1E
1
14 Oct
10682 Burnham F, Cor
I 11
16 Oct
10690 Barlow O L
E 11
18 Oct
10876 Bennett N
H 13
1 Aug
5806 Brown C H
H 15
Aug
5919 Boyce Wm 7B
17
Aug
6083 Bishop B H Cav 1 I
18
14 Aug
6184 Bushnell Wm
D 19
16 Sept
1763 Bailey F
E 4
21 June
2054 Brewer G E
A 16
6 Aug
5596 Burns B
G 14
5632 Balcomb 11 Aug 64
B 14
16 Aug
5754 Beers James C
A 15
16 Oct
11636 Birdsell D
D 28
July
4296 Blakeslee H Cav 1L
30
18 July
3900 Bishop A
A 24
14 June
1493 Besannon Peter
B 2
30 July
2720 Babcock R
A 1
July
2818 Baldwin Thos Cav 1L
3
16 June
2256 Bosworth A M
D 21
11 Aug
5132 Bougin John
C 8
Brooks Wm D, 16 Aug
5152
Cor F 9
16 Aug
5308 Bower John
E 11
6 Aug
5452 Bently F
H 12
Aug
5464 Bently James Cav 1 I
12
2 Aug
4830 Blackman A, Cor Art
C 6
16 Sept
7742 Banning J F
E 3
Ballentine 16 Sept
8018
Robert A 6
12408 Bassett J B 11 Jan 65
B 6
Jan
12540 Bohine C 2E
27
Feb
12620 Bennis Charles 7K
8
16 July
3707 Chapin J L 64
A 21
7 July
3949 Cottrell P
C 25
11 July
3941 Clarkson
H 25
July
4367 Culler M 7E
31
18 Aug
4449 Connor D
F 1
16 Aug
4848 Carrier D B
D 6
1 Aug
6060 Cook W H Cav
G 18
16 Aug
6153 Clark H H
F 15
Aug
6846 Clark W 6A
25
10 Aug
5799 Champlain H
F 15
9 Apr
336 Cane John
H 2
Apr
620 Christian A M 1A
19
14 Apr
775 Crawford James
A 28
7316 Chapman M 16 Aug
E 30
Aug
7348 Cleary P Cav 1B
31
Aug
7395 Campbell Robert 7E
31
16 Aug
7418 Culler M
K 31
16 Sept
7685 Carver John G
B 3
14 Sept
7780 Cain Thomas
G 4
8 Sept
9984 Crossley B
G 29
16 Oct
10272 Coltier W
B 3
11 Oct
11175 Callahan J
I 19
Oct
11361 Candee D M Art 2A 64
23
Mar
25 Dowd F 7 I
8
Aug
7325 Davis W Cav 1L
30
10 July
2813 Davis W
E 3
July
3614 Damery John 6A
20
11 Sept
7597 Diebenthal H
C 2
Sept
8568 Donoway J Cav 1A
12
16 Sept
8769 Dutton W H
K 14
5446 Dugan Charles 16 Aug
K 12
16 Oct
11339 Dean R
H 23
16 Oct
11481 Demmings G A
I 24
18 Nov
11889 Downer S
C 7
16 Nov
11991 Demming B J
G 13
16 July
3482 Emmonds A
K 17
14 July
4437 Easterly Thomas
G 31
Aug
4558 Earnest H C 6 I
2
16 Aug
7346 Ensworth John
C 31
Edwards O J, 8 Sept
7603
Cor G 2
16 Sept
8368 Evans N L
I 10
16 Oct
11608 Emmett W
K 28
Jan
12442 Eaton W 6F 65
12
14 Mar
186 Fluit C W 64
G 27
6 May
1277 Francell Otto
C 22
7 June
2612 Fry S
D 28
4444 Fibbles H 16 Aug
G 1
Aug
4465 Fisher H 1E
1
Florence J J, 16 Aug
5123
Cor C 8
24 Aug
5382 Fuller H S
H 11
1 Aug
5913 Frisbie Levi Cav
G 17
Aug
5556 Fogg C S’t 7K
13
Sept
8028 Feely M 7 I
6
14 Sept
9089 Filby A
C 18
Oct
10255 Frederick John 7A
3
11 Nov
12188 Fagan P D
A 28
14 July
3028 Gordon John
G 7
9 July
4096 Gray Pat
H 27
July
4974 Grammon Jas Cav 1K
7
Gulterman J, July
4005 1E
Mus 26
16 Aug
5173 Gilmore J
C 9
16 Aug
7057 Gallagher P
D 28
18 Aug
7337 Gott G, Mus
- 30
7592 Goodrich J W 16 Sept
C 2
16 Sept
7646 Graigg W
B 3
11 Sept
9423 Guina H M
G 21
11 Oct
10300 Grady M
B 4
Oct
10397 Gladstone Wm 6K
6
Mar
49 Holt Thomas Cav 1A
15
14 June
2336 Hughes Ed
D 22
16 July
3195 Hitchcock Wm A
C 12
July
3448 Hall Wm G 1K
17
14 July
3559 Holcomb D
D 18
14 May
1350 Hilenthal Jas
C 25
16 July
3033 Haskins Jas
D 8
Aug
5029 Hollister A Cav 1L
8
16 Aug
5162 Hally Thomas
F 9
15 Aug
5352 Hanson F A
I 11
1 Aug
6695 Hodges Geo Cav
H 24
4937 Harwood G 15 Aug
A 7
17 Aug
6964 Hoyt E S
B 27
16 Aug
7012 Hull M
E 27
16 Aug
7380 Holcomb A A
E 31
16 Sept
7642 Haley W
D 3
16 Sept
7757 Hubbard H D
D 4
18 Sept
8043 Haywood
E 11
16 Sept
8613 Heath I, S’t
K 13
16 Sept
9129 Hall B
G 18
11 Sept
9369 Heart W
F 20
16 Sept
9981 Hurley R A 64
I 29
18 Nov
12086 Hibbard A
D 18
14 Nov
12117 Hancock W
G 22
11 Nov
12163 Hudson Chas
C 26
16 Nov
8148 Hubbard B
A 8
11 Sept
9340 Islay H
- 4
Jamieson 7 April
737
Charles D 26
5221 Johnson John 16 Aug
E 10
11 Aug
7083 Johnson G W
G 28
Jamison J S, Q 1 Aug
7365 Cav
MS - 31
16 Sept
7570 Jones Jno J
B 2
6 Sept
7961 Jones James R
G 6
1 Sept
8502 Johnson F
D 12
16 Nov
11970 Johnson C S
E 12
16 Dec
12340 Johnson W
E 26
14 June
1590 Kingsbury C
K 3
11 Aug
5186 Klineland L
C 9
8 Aug
6374 Kempton B F
G 21
6 Aug
6705 Kershoff B
H 25
14 Aug
6748 Kelley F
I 25
Sept
7749 Kaltry J Cav 1L
3
7 Sept
8065 Kimball H H
H 7
7 Sept
8866 Kohlenburg C
D 15
10233 Kearn T 16 Oct
A 2
16 July
3401 Lenden H
D 16
10 Aug
5893 Lastry J
I 16
Aug
5499 Lewis J 8E
12
14 Aug
6124 Leonard W
H 19
Lavanaugh W O, 16 Sept
7912
S’t C 5
8 Sept
7956 Linker C
G 6
7 Sept
9219 Lewis G H
G 19
Oct
10228 Lee, farrier Cav 1F
2
6 Mar
74 Mills W J
D 20
14 Mar
119 McCaulley Jas
D 20
14 June
2295 Miller Charles
I 21
16 July
3516 McCord P
G 18
14 July
3644 Miller A
D 19
11 July
3410 Mould James
E 16
15 Aug
3933 McGinnis J W
E 17
July
4079 Miller D Cav 1E
27
4417 Messenger A 16 July
G 31
11 Aug
4492 McLean Wm
F 1
8 Aug
4595 Marshalls B
H 3
16 Aug
5238 Mickallis F
F 10
16 Sept
7852 Miller F D
B
10 Sept
8150 Modger A
I 8
11 Aug
6902 Mape George
B 25
8 July
6240 Marshal L
H 20
1 Sept
7547 Moore A P, S’t Cav
H 2
16 Sept
8446 Mathews S J
K 11
1 Sept
8501 Myers L Cav
- 12
11 Sept
9170 Mertis C
C 18
14 Sept
9321 Milor W, S’t
F 20
16 Aug
5328 Miller H
A 11
16 Aug
6342 Malone John
B 22
Aug
6426 Messey M 7E
22
6451 McGee Thomas 11 Aug
D 22
Aug
6570 McDavid James 1K
23
11 Aug
6800 Meal John
D 25
14 Oct
10595 McCreieth A
H 10
7 Oct
10914 McKeon J
H 14
16 Oct
11487 Murphy W
C 26
11 Oct
11538 McDowell J
D 27
5 Nov
12134 Montjoy T
C 23
16 Aug
5044 Nichols C
G 8
7 Aug
6222 Northrop John
D 20
1 Aug
7331 North S S, S’t Cav
D 30
Oct
10895 Nichols M 7 I 64
14
Aug
4565 Orton H C 6 I
9
Sept
7511 Olena R Cav 1E
1
14 Sept
8276 Orr A
H 14
14 July
2960 Pendalton W
C 6
14 July
3808 Pompey C
B 24
4356 Parker S B 10 July
B 31
1 July
3803 Phelps S G
H 22
16 Aug
4934 Pimble A
I 7
11 Aug
5002 Plum James
G 8
Aug
5386 Patchey J Cav 1 I
12
16 Sept
7487 Post C, S’t
K 1
7 Sept
7688 Potache A
G 3
Sept
9248 Phillips J I 8B
19
Padfrey 8 Sept
9444
Sylvanus H 21
7 Sept
9533 Painter N P
C 22
Oct
10676 Puritan O Cav 1L
11
7 Oct
11616 Peir A
D 28
July
2804 Ruther J, S’t Cav 1E
3
2 July
2871 Reed H H Art
H 4
10 July
3674 Risley E, S’t
B 20
11 Aug
4636 Reins Wm
I 3
5902 Ross D 10 Aug

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