ROSS, Norbert (Program in Culture, Language and Cognition, Northwestern).
OBSERVATIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND CULTURAL MODELS EXAMPLE IN FOLK BIOLOGY

This paper reports results of two cross-cultural studies on folk biology: In the first study we compared Menominee and Majority Culture fish-experts and non-experts in central Wisconsin with respect to the ways they categorize and reason about local fish species. The second study compares models about rainforest ecology among the (old and young) native Itza' Maya, Spanish speaking Ladino and Q'eqchi' migrants in the Petén, Guatemala.

The Cultural Consensus Model was used to explore the existence of cultural models. In both studies we have clear evidence of cultural differences that are not based on observational differences or differences in knowledge base. Rather it seems that more general schemata lead to differences in saliency with respect to certain aspects of folk biological knowledge. This is particularly obvious when we look at within group differences and similarities. Young and old Itza' Maya share one general model of animals helping plants. However, young adults (with less experience) over-generalize from this schema. Similarly, we find Menominee and majority culture non-experts differing from each other in similar ways than the experts of both cultures do.

This research indicates that cultural differences cannot be completely explained by differences in expertise and base knowledge. Rather, general schemata are responsible for rendering certain aspects of knowledge more salient than others.