Consider the following statements about culture and intelligence:
(A) Sternberg's notion of contextual or practical intelligence implies that intelligence is a product of culture.
(B) According to Vygotsky, elementary mental functions such as crying and walking are largely culture-produced.
(C) According to Vygotsky, the manner in which higher mental functions such as problem solving and thinking operate is largely culture-produced.
(D) Many theorists have regarded intelligence as attributes specific to the person, with full regard to their cultural background.
How many of the above statements are correct?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Only two
(A) Sternberg's notion of contextual or practical intelligence implies that intelligence is a product of culture. — Correct. Contextual or practical intelligence is about dealing with one's real surroundings, so Sternberg treats intelligence as a product of culture.
(B) According to Vygotsky, elementary mental functions such as crying and walking are largely culture-produced. — Incorrect. Vygotsky called elementary functions like crying, walking and running universal. They appear in every culture, so they are not culture-produced.
(C) According to Vygotsky, the manner in which higher mental functions such as problem solving and thinking operate is largely culture-produced. — Correct. For Vygotsky, the way higher mental functions such as problem solving and thinking work is largely culture-produced.
(D) Many theorists have regarded intelligence as attributes specific to the person, with full regard to their cultural background. — Incorrect. The feature is reversed. Many theorists saw intelligence as person-specific without regard to cultural background.
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