Passage2 Scientistshavebeensurprisedathowdeeplyculture--thelang

Passage2 Scientistshavebeensurprisedathowdeeplyculture--thelanguagewespeak,thevaluesweabsorb--shapesthebrain,andarerethinkingfindingsderivedfromstudiesofWesterners.Totakeonerecentexample,aregionbehindtheforeheadcalledthemedialprefrontalcortexsupposedlyrepresentstheself:itisactivewhenwe("we"beingtheAmericansinthestudy)thinkofourownidentityandtraits.ButwithChinesevolunteers,theresultswerestrikinglydifferent.The"me"circuithummednotonlywhentheythoughtwhetheraparticularadjectivedescribedthemselves,butalsowhentheyconsideredwhetheritdescribedtheirmother.TheWesternersshowednosuchoverlapbetweenselfandmom.Dependingwhetheronelivesinaculturethatviewstheselfasautonomousanduniqueorasconnectedtoandpartofalargerwhole,thisneuralcircuittakesonquitedifferentfunctions. "Culturalneuroscience,"asthisnewfieldiscalled,isaboutdiscoveringsuchdifferences.Someofthefindings,aswiththe"me/mom"circuit,buttresslongstandingnotionsofculturaldifferences. Forinstance,itisaculturalclichethatWesternersfocusonindividualobjectswhileEastAsianspayattentiontocontextandbackground(anothermanifestationoftheindividualism-collectivismsplit). Sureenough,whenshowncomplex,busyscenes,Asian-Americansandnon-Asian-Americansrecruiteddifferentbrainregions.TheAsiansshowedmoreactivityinareasthatprocessfigure-groundrelations--holisticcontext--whiletheAmericansshowedmoreactivityinregionsthatrecognizeobjects. PsychologistNaliniAmbadyofTuftsfoundsomethingsimilarwhensheandcolleaguesshoweddrawingsofpeopleinasubmissivepose(headdown,shouldershunched)oradominantone(armscrossed,faceforward)toJapaneseandAmericans.Thebrain′sdopamine-fueledrewardcircuitbecamemostactiveatthesightofthestance--dominantforAmericans,submissiveforJapanese--thateachvolunteer′sculturemostvalues,theyreportedin2009.Thisraisesanobviouschicken-and-eggquestion,butthesmartmoneyisoncultureshapingthebrain,notviceversa. Culturalneurosciencewouldn′tbemakingwavesifitfoundneurobiologicalbasesonlyforwell-knownculturaldifferences.Itisalsouncoveringtheunexpected.Forinstance,a2006studyfoundthatnativeChinesespeakersuseadifferentregionofthebraintodosimplearithmetic(3+4)ordecidewhichnumberislargerthannativeEnglishspeakersdo,eventhoughbothuseArabicnumerals.TheChineseusethecircuitsthatprocessvisualandspatialinformationandplanmovements(thelattermayberelatedtotheuseoftheabacus).ButEnglishspeakersuselanguagecircuits.ItisasiftheWestconceivesnumbersasjustwords,buttheEastimbuesthemwithsymbolic,spatialfreight.(InsertclicheaboutAsianmathgeniuses.)"Onewouldthinkthatneuralprocessesinvolvingbasicmathematicalcomputationsareuniversal,"saysAmbady,butthey"seemtobeculture-specific." Nottobetheskunkatthisparty,butIthinkit′simportanttoaskwhetherneurosciencerevealsanythingmorethanwealreadyknowfrom,say,anthropology.Forinstance,it′swellknownthatEastAsianculturesprizethecollectiveovertheindividual,andthatAmericansdotheopposite. DoesidentifyingbraincorrelatesofthosevaluesofferanyextrainsightAfterall,it′snotasifanyonethoughtthosevaluesaretheresultofsomethingintheliver. Ambadythinksculturalneuro-sciencedoesadvanceunderstanding.Taketheme/momfinding,which,sheargues,"atteststothestrengthoftheoverlapbetweenselfandpeopleclosetoyouincollectivisticculturesandtheseparationinindividualisticcultures.Itisimportanttopushtheanalysistothelevelofthebrain."Especiallywhenitshowshowfundamentalculturaldifferencesare--sofundamental,perhaps,that"universal"notionssuchashumanrights,democracy,andthelikemaybenosuchthing. Whichofthefollowingisclosestinmeaningtotheunderlinedphrase"makingwaves"inParagraph3

A.Drawing criticism.

B.Receiving suspicion.

C.Attracting attention.

D.Causing disagreement.

正确答案是D