ABSTRACT
The early workers on the problems of culture and cognition passed from primary concern with basic sensory and perceptual processes, to elaborate discussions of ‘world view’ complete with highly ethnocentric assertions regarding animistic, concrete, and prelogical thought. Given the great importance attached to cognitive functioning by Western psychology, it is essential that our aims, research strategies, and techniques be well defined and beyond reproach when we extend this interest to cognitive functioning in other cultural contexts. What follows is an attempt to display the problems inherent in comparative cognitive research, and to draw together some of the more consensual views regarding their solutions. As the social science world was feeling the impact of growing specialization, there existed a number of persons who possessed real dual competence; only later were they to be led by the growing disciplinary boundaries to assume a single title as ‘psychologist’ or ‘anthropologist’.
