Abstract
This paper discusses how the concept of "culture" has been defined and investigated in the field of psychology. The paper particularly focuses on the notion of "culture as an aggregate of the accumulated tools (artifacts) of a group," an assumption shared by cultural psychologists. The paper first provides an overview of cultural psychology by contrasting it with cross-cultural psychology, and then elaborates on the role of culture as an aggregate of tools in human psychological development by revisiting L. S. Vygotsky's cultural-historical theory. Examples from the author's research on differences in cancer disclosure practices in the United States and Japan are used to illustrate the discussion. This paper attempts to help intercultural communication researchers understand the fundamental differences between cross-cultural psychology and cultural psychology, and make them aware of the diversity of approaches used when inquiring into the role culture plays in shaping the human mind and action.
