Previous studies reported cultural differences in neural activation for a variety
of cognitive functions including picture encoding, voting behavior, empathy, and
self-representation. Broad consensus exists that culture also asserts a significant
impact on the neural correlates of face processing, particularly regarding activation
of the amygdala, mostly reporting stronger or sustained activation to out-group
faces…
Mounting evidence indicates that humans have significant difficulties in
understanding emotional expressions from individuals of different ethnic
backgrounds, leading to reduced recognition accuracy and stronger amygdala
activation. However, the impact of gender on the behavioral and neural reactions
during the initial phase of cultural assimilation has not been addressed. Therefore,
we investigated 24 Asians students (12 females) and 24 age-matched European
students (12 females) during an explicit emotion recognition task, using Caucasian
facial expressions only, on a high-field MRI scanner.
Analysis of functional data revealed bilateral amygdala activation to emotional
expressions in Asian and European subjects. However, in the Asian sample, a
stronger response of the amygdala emerged and was paralleled by reduced
recognition accuracy, particularly for angry male faces. Moreover, no significant
gender difference emerged. We also observed a significant inverse correlation
between duration of stay and amygdala activation.
In concordance with previous results from our lab on male immigrants and our
hypothesis, bilateral amygdala activation in both samples was observed, confirming
the role of the amygdala as a ‘relevance detector’. The amygdala seems to be
fundamental in emotion processing as a part of the underlying neural network
although gender, socialization and cultural background seem to exert a certain
impact on its activation.
Taken together, this study demonstrates the first attempt to analyze the impact of
gender and culture on amygdala activation during emotion recognition. While we
observed no gender difference, culture and gender of poser asserted significant
effects on the behavioral and neural correlates of this emotional capacity, thereby
extending our knowledge on the bases of emotion recognition differences between
participants with divergent cultural backgrounds.
Culture but not gender modulates amygdala activation during explicit emotion
recognition. Adapted from Birgit Derntl et al. (2012).
The study described above evaluates the impact of both race and gender upon
the strength of amygdala activation. If instead the study were interested in
determining the impact of subcultures and countercultures, the researchers
might start by:
A) Determining which patterns of behavior constitute rebellion against
traditional authorities
B) Identifying the core themes and values of the dominant society
C) Evaluating social media for evidence of counter-cultural movements
D) Looking for small minorities of people who do not fit into society more
broadly
Correct answer is B
If the study’s researchers were interested in determining the impact of subcultures
and countercultures, first the researchers would have to define what constituted
a subculture and counterculture, and would likely do so in reference to the core
themes and values of the dominant society at large. In general, subcultures are
defined as small groups within a society that hold their own norms and values,
whereas countercultures are groups within a society that oppose the dominant
norms and values of society. Thus, the researchers could not truly define or
determine the impact of either without understanding the core themes and values
of society overall, making Answer B correct.
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