The Impact Of Ritual On Child Cognition

"In this book, Veronika Rybanska explores how ritual participation affects the cognitive abilities of children. Rybanska argues that, far from being a simple matter of mindless copying, ritual participation in childhood requires rigorous computation by cognitive mechanisms. In turn, this computation can improve a child's 'executive functioning': a set of cognitive skills that are essential for successful cognitive, social and psychological development. After providing a critique of existing literature on religion and ritual, Rybanska presents a new interdisciplinary approach that draws from anthropology, psychology and cognitive neuroscience. Using cross-cultural examples, including a comparison between Melanesian culture and Western culture, Rybanska shows that some of the most socially important effects of rituals seem to be universal. The implications of this research suggest that we should rethink multiple aspects of child-rearing and educational policy, and shows that the presence of some form of ritual during childhood could have positive evolutionary benefits."--

In this book, Veronika Rybanska explores how ritual participation affects the cognitive abilities of children. Rybanska argues that, far from being a simple matter of mindless copying, ritual participation in childhood requires rigorous computation by cognitive mechanisms. In turn, this computation can improve a child's 'executive functioning': a set of cognitive skills that are essential for successful cognitive, social and psychological development. After providing a critique of existing literature on religion and ritual, Rybanska presents a new interdisciplinary approach that draws from anthropology, psychology and cognitive neuroscience. Using cross-cultural examples, including a comparison between Melanesian culture and Western culture, Rybanska shows that some of the most socially important effects of rituals seem to be universal. The implications of this research suggest that we should rethink multiple aspects of child-rearing and educational policy, and shows that the presence of some form of ritual during childhood could have positive evolutionary benefits.

In this book, Veronika Rybanska explores how ritual participation affects the cognitive abilities of children. Rybanska argues that, far from being a simple matter of mindless copying, ritual participation in childhood requires rigorous computation by cognitive mechanisms. In turn, this computation can improve a child's 'executive functioning': a set of cognitive skills that are essential for successful cognitive, social and psychological development. After providing a critique of existing literature on religion and ritual, Rybanska presents a new interdisciplinary approach that draws from anthropology, psychology and cognitive neuroscience. Using cross-cultural examples, including a comparison between Melanesian culture and Western culture, Rybanska shows that some of the most socially important effects of rituals seem to be universal. The implications of this research suggest that we should rethink multiple aspects of child-rearing and educational policy, and shows that the presence of some form of ritual during childhood could have positive evolutionary benefits.

It sometimes seems that it is difficult to pick up a current newspaper or a magazine without it containing a story about some behavioral characteristic for which it has been found that a gene is responsible. Even aspects of behavior that one would feel certain are environmentally controlled are now being attributed in part to the effects of the genes. But genes never act alone: Their effects are always filtered through the environment. The goal of this volume is to discuss how the environment influences the development and the maintenance of cognitive abilities. It is a successor to the editors' 1997 volume, Intelligence, Heredity, and Environment, and a companion to their new volume, Family Environment and Intellectual Functioning: A Life-Span Perspective. Taken together, the two-volume set comprises the most comprehensive existing work on the relation between the environment and cognitive abilities. Psychologists, parents, social workers, educators, and employers are all likely to find this book of interest.

In Understanding Religion through Artificial Intelligence, Justin E. Lane looks at the reasons why humans feel they are part of a religious group, despite often being removed from other group members by vast distances or multiple generations. To achieve this, Lane offers a new perspective that integrates religious studies with psychology, anthropology, and data science, as well as with research at the forefront of Artificial Intelligence (AI). After providing a critical analysis of approaches to religion and social cohesion, Lane proposes a new model for religious studies, which he calls the “Information Identity System.” This model focuses on the idea of conceptual ties: links between an individual's self-concept and the ancient beliefs of their religious group. Lane explores this idea through real-world examples, ranging from the rise in global Pentecostalism, to religious extremism and self-radicalization, to the effect of 9/11 on sermons. Lane uses this lens to show how we can understand religion and culture today, and how we can better contextualize the changes we see in the social world around us.

The Second Edition of the Handbook of Adolescent Behavioral Problems clarifies the current state of treatment and prevention through comprehensive examinations of mental disorders and dysfunctional behaviors as well as the varied forces affecting their development. New or revised chapters offer a basic framework for approaching mental health concerns in youth and provide the latest information on how conditions (e.g., bipolar disorder, suicidality, and OCD) and behaviors (e.g., sex offenses, gang activities, dating violence, and self-harm) manifest in adolescents. Each chapter offers diagnostic guidance, up-to-date findings on prevalence, biological/genetic aspects, risk and resilience factors, and a practical review of prevention and treatment methods. Best-practice recommendations clearly differentiate among what works, what might work, what doesn't work, and what needs further research across modalities, including pharmacotherapy. Key topics addressed include: Families and adolescent development. Adolescent mental health and the DSM-5. Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder. Autism spectrum disorder. Media and technology addiction. School failure versus school success. Bullying and cyberbullying. The Second Edition of the Handbook of Adolescent Behavior Problems is a must-have reference for researchers, clinicians, allied practitioners and professionals, and graduate students in school and clinical child psychology, education, pediatrics, psychiatry, social work, school counseling, and public health.

Entirely revised, rewritten and augmented with 11 completely new chapters, this new edition builds strongly on the aims of the previous edition to provide the latest scientific validation of cognitive behaviour therapy with practical treatment guidance for clinical child psychologists and psychiatrists working with disturbed children. Coverage ranges broadly from school refusal and adjustment to parental divorce through eating and sleeping disorders to substance abuse. It will be invaluable to clinicians wanting to provide ever more effective psychological treatment for children and families. From a review of the first edition: ' ... clearly written by a number of international authorities in the field. ... This book will be useful to child psychiatrists and other child mental health professionals, as well as social workers, educationalists and school nurses. It is highly recommended for bench and departmental libraries.' European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Using a systems approach firmly grounded in cognitive development theory and findings, this book offers a new, well-researched method for intervening with severely disturbed children--autistic, brain-damaged, retarded, emotionally deprived, and developmentally delayed. This approach emphasizes building on the strengths of each child's coping mechanisms rather than on conventional behavior modification techniques, which the authors see as raising serious ethical questions. Their approach has been tried and tested in clinical practice and has demonstrated its efficacy. The book examines the formation of systems in normal and abnormal development and discusses specifics of assessment and intervention with disordered children.