Sangam: A Confluence of Knowledge Streams

Memory and Mystery: The Cultural Selection of Minimally Counterintuitive Narratives

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dc.contributor Institut Jean Nicod, CNRS, Paris and Institute for Social Research, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
dc.contributor Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia
dc.creator Norenzayan, Ara
dc.creator Atran, Scott
dc.creator Faulkner, Jason
dc.creator Schaller, Mark
dc.date 2013-06-18T18:32:27Z
dc.date 2013-06-18T18:32:27Z
dc.date 2006-05-06
dc.date.accessioned 2022-05-19T10:35:07Z
dc.date.available 2022-05-19T10:35:07Z
dc.identifier Norenzayan, Ara; Atran, Scott; Faulkner, Jason; Schaller, Mark (2006). "Memory and Mystery: The Cultural Selection of Minimally Counterintuitive Narratives." Cognitive Science 30(3). <http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/98200>
dc.identifier 0364-0213
dc.identifier 1551-6709
dc.identifier https://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/98200
dc.identifier 21702824
dc.identifier 10.1207/s15516709cog0000_68
dc.identifier Cognitive Science
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dc.identifier.uri http://localhost:8080/xmlui/handle/CUHPOERS/100309
dc.description We hypothesize that cultural narratives such as myths and folktales are more likely to achieve cultural stability if they correspond to a minimally counterintuitive (MCI) cognitive template that includes mostly intuitive concepts combined with a minority of counterintuitive ones. Two studies tested this hypothesis, examining whether this template produces a memory advantage, and whether this memory advantage explains the cultural success of folktales. In a controlled laboratory setting, Study 1 found that an MCI template produces a memory advantage after a 1‐week delay, relative to entirely intuitive or maximally counterintuitive cognitive templates. Using archival methods, Study 2 examined the cognitive structure of Grimm Brothers folktales. Compared to culturally unsuccessful folktales, those that were demonstrably successful were especially likely to fit an MCI template. These findings highlight the role of human memory processes in cultural evolution.
dc.description Peer Reviewed
dc.description http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/98200/1/s15516709cog0000_68.pdf
dc.format application/pdf
dc.publisher Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
dc.publisher Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
dc.rights IndexNoFollow
dc.subject Concepts
dc.subject Religion
dc.subject Memory
dc.subject Culture
dc.subject Evolution
dc.subject Neurosciences
dc.subject Health Sciences
dc.title Memory and Mystery: The Cultural Selection of Minimally Counterintuitive Narratives
dc.type Article


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