Specific and unique information processing patterns have been developed by Black Americans as a result of coping with and adapting to a color-conscious society. A review of the literature shows that the major variation in the processing of information which seems to be uniquely Black American occurs in their patterns of perception. Specifically,…

Noting that one means of better understanding the nature of cultural differences is to elucidate the cognitive differences between members of differing cultures, this paper examines Alexander Luria's sociohistorical theory of functional cognitive systems. The paper first describes Luria's notion of functional systems, the crux of which postulates…

Observational, exploratory and verbal learning, and verbal and imaginal processes of Pueblo Indian children were compared with those of non-Indian (Anglo and Chicano) children. Both Pueblo and non-Indian adults and children were observed, interviewed, and asked to carry out various tasks. The children attended either a Tanoan or a Keresan day…

This publication presents reasons why attention to culture and learning is important in schools. It examines the relationship between culture and learning, and discusses how conflicts between the culture of the home and that of the typical classroom hinder the educational process for many children. It reviews examples of culturally sensitive…

Many students of color are not performing to their maximum potential within the current school setting, and examinations of this problem suggest significant differences between student and teacher perceptions of how one becomes educated. The underlying assumptions of this book are that culture, through the mediation of cognitive style, determines…