[招待講演] 

Beyond genes and parents: The effects of cultural products on human psychology

遺伝子と親を超えて：文化的産物(*)が人間の心理に与える影響

 

講演者：Emanuele Castano, Ph.D.（フィレンツェ大学）

 

The human mind is shaped by a complex interplay of factors. Genetic inheritance lays the foundation, predisposing us to certain cognitive tendencies and emotional patterns. These are then shaped by parents and caregivers, and increasingly by other adults and peers as we, as children, enter the instructional system and further acquire social attitudes, norms, values. All the while, exposure to cultural products begins exerting their twofold influence on our mind: what we think and how we think. In my presentation, I focus on the latter. I propose that cultural products can be heuristically distinguished between Confirming and Challenging, provide evidence of the distinctive features of these two classes of products, and present data as well as a theoretical model of how these features impact our social cognition and ultimately shape the way we see and navigate the social world, from interpersonal relationships to life in complex societies.

人間の精神は、要因の複雑な相互作用によって形成される。人間の認知的傾向や情動パターンは、遺伝的継承がその基盤を提供し、方向づける。それらは生後、親や養育者によって形づくられる。さらに学校教育によって社会的態度・規範・価値観を学ぶ過程で、他の大人や仲間による影響はますます大きくなる。その期間を通じて、文化的産物への接触は、２つの方向性で影響を及ぼし続ける。すなわち、「何を考えるか（思考の内容）」および「どのように考えるか（思考の枠組みやパターン）」である。この講演では、後者のほうに焦点を当てる。まず、文化的産物について、「確証的」なものと「挑戦的」なものに便宜的に区別することを提案し、これら２種類を際立たせる特徴について説明する。さらに、身近な対人関係から複雑な社会生活に至るまでの幅広い世界を、我々がどのように認識し、どのように渡り歩いていくかについて、文化的産物の及ぼす影響を実証的データと理論モデルを示しながら論じる。
* 文化的産物 (cultural product) とは、本・映画・音楽・ニュース・SNS投稿など、人が日常的に触れるあらゆる情報や物語のことを指す。

[講演者経歴]

Dr. Emanuele Castano is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Florence and a researcher at the Institute for Cognitive Science of the Italian National Research Council. His research interests include violent intergroup conflict and reconciliation, nationalism and international relations, and the existential motives of human behavior. His latest work examines the impact of cultural products on social cognition and democracy. He has published over 60 scientific articles in top-tier journals and has received numerous research grants from various agencies and foundations, including the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the European Commission.