Question Assumptions, Seek Nuance

The paper critiques the tendency in classical cognitive science to assume universality without sufficient evidence, emphasizing the need to recognize cultural influences on cognition. It argues for a more nuanced understanding that distinguishes between universal and culture-specific cognitive features. The implicit assumption of universality often leads to a lack of cross-cultural samples and insufficient contextual discussion, which can obscure important differences in cognitive capabilities across cultures. A valuable contribution of the paper is its exploration of these shortcomings and the suggestion of a guiding principle to navigate the dichotomy between universal and culturally specific cognitive traits.