Premium
Learning to Be Smart: An Exploration of the Culture of Intelligence in a Canadian Inuit Community
Author(s) -
Stern Pamela R.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
american anthropologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.51
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1548-1433
pISSN - 0002-7294
DOI - 10.1525/aa.1999.101.3.502
Subject(s) - social intelligence , affect (linguistics) , perception , cognition , psychology , cultural intelligence , human intelligence , sociology , social psychology , developmental psychology , communication , neuroscience
The understanding of intelligence and cognitive functioning of culturally diverse peoples has long been an interest of social scientists. It has also long been recognized that environmental factors and cultural values affect both perceptual abilities and the display of cognitive functioning. While some scholars have proposed the existence of multiple forms of intelligence, others have argued that the assessment of intelligence requires the application of local definitions of intelligence and intelligent behavior. In the present paper I explore the concept of intelligence in the small Copper Inuit community of Holman. Data collected between 1978 and 1995 are used to examine the manner in which community members define, assess, and develop intelligence. Modernity has created new conditions in which intelligence is nurtured and assessed. Particular attention is paid to informant efforts to encourage the author to behave intelligently. [Inuit, theories of intelligence, participant‐observation]