Human neuropsychology and the concept of culture

American anthropology is distinguished by a four-fields approach in which biological, cultural, archaeological, and linguistic dimensions of behavior are examined in evolutionary and cross-cultural perspective. Nevertheless, assumptions of mind-body dualism pervade scholarly thinking in anthropology and have prevented the development of a truly integrated science of human experience. This dualism is most exemplified by the lack of consideration of the role of the brain in both “physical” and “mental” processes, including phenomena labeled as cultural. In this paper, I review neural mechanisms of learning, communication, and emotion, and discuss the implications of these findings for culture theory. Lee Xenakis Blonder is an assistant professor in the Department of Behavioral Science and the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky Medical School, Lexington. She is currently examining the effects of stroke in different regions of the brain on language, nonverbal communication, and emotional processing in an attempt to better understand human brain and behavior relations. Recent publications include “Neuropsychological Functioning in Hemiparkinsonism” (with R. E. Gur, R. C. Gur, A. J. Saykin, and H. I. Hurtig),Brain and Cognition 9:244–257 (1989).