ABSTRACT
The conceptual domains of folk knowledge that comprise foundations for domain-specific mechanisms of the mind include social, biological and physical knowledge. Psychological domains of folk knowledge act in parallel with societal domains of formal knowledge to comprise foundations of cultural learning. Cultural differences exist in folk knowledge of the social and physical worlds. Theoretical models of cultural variation in cognitive processes suggest distinct causal mechanisms for knowledge generation. Cultural systems maintain social organization and practices that guide metaphysics and epistemology of the natural world. Studies in cultural neuroscience demonstrate the influence of culture and genes on the structure and organization of the nervous system and behavior. Research in cultural neuroscience demonstrates the influence of culture at the cellular and molecular levels of mechanisms in the brain. The interplay of culture and genes affects early perceptual mechanisms that guide the development and use of cognitive processes, such as analytic and holistic cognition.
