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Andrea Bender
Photo: Eivind Senneset

Andrea Bender

Position

Professor

Affiliation

E-mail
andrea.bender@uib.no
Phone number
+47 55589081
Visitor address
Christies gate 12
5015 Bergen
Postal address
P.O. Box 7807
NO-5020 Bergen
Norway

Andrea Bender

Position

Professor

Affiliation

Research groups

Research

Key Research Interests: 
Cognition, language, and culture (and their co-evolution)

Having started out as a cultural anthropologist, I turned to psychology and the cognitive sciences more generally for studying the relationship between cognition, language, and culture, including their (co-)evolution. My main research interests range from conceptual systems to basic cognitive processes, and focus especially on representations of number, spatial and temporal references, causal cognition, and the possible influence of linguistic categories on thought.

For a few of the most surprising findings afforded by this multidisciplinary approach see: on the evolution of numerical cognition, on finger counting, or on a partly binary counting system; for on-going research as part of an ERC Synergy Grant see details on the QUANTA project.

Other projects related to the evolution of our cognitive abilities are hosted at the SFF Centre for Early Sapiens Behaviour (SapienCE), an NFR-funded Centre of Excellence located at the University of Bergen, in which I am in charge of the section devoted to The Symbolic Mind, Cognition, and Social Organisation.

The bulk of my previous work was done in collaboration with the late Sieghard Beller. Short descriptions of my main topics as well as references to three key publications each are to be found below.

Numerical cognition, numeral systems, and culture             

Counting is central to human cognition and cultural diversification as it is one of the key activities that fostered abstraction and symbolic thinking at the dawn of humanity. It depends on cultural tools such as numeral systems, the properties of which affect how numbers are represented and processed. Numeral systems are thus a prime example of the close dovetailing of culture, language, and cognition, and a paradigmatic case of both distributed and embodied cognition. In our research, we investigate how these systems evolved, developed, and diversified, and which cognitive implications arise from their specific properties. This research is funded by an ERC Synergy Grant for the project QUANTA.

Spatial and temporal references

Space is fundamental for cognitive activities such as perception, orientation, referencing, and reasoning. Talking about spatial relations requires perspective-taking: the adoption of a frame of reference (FoR). Which FoRs speakers prefer depends on characteristics of the context and varies across languages and cultures. We also investigate the importance of one’s perspective to the object (e.g. aligned or rotated, in one's front or one's back), and to what extent spatial FoRs also guide temporal referencing. Funding for this work has been provided by the DFG and the University of Bergen.

Causal cognition, language, and culture

Causal cognition refers to how people perceive, represent, and reason about causal relationships, that is, the connection between a causing event and its effects. Grasping such relationships is essential to people’s daily lives and hence a core concern of human cognition. But does cognitive engagement with causality constitute a universal and uniform phenomenon, or does people’s cultural background affect whether and how they engage in causal cognition? And is the way they assign causality affected by the way events are described in language? Questions like these lay at the heart of both our ZiF research group and a research project funded by the DFG. More recently, this research interest came to include questions on (co-)evolution, now addressed in a project at the NFR-funded SFF Centre for Early Sapiens Behaviour (SapienCE).

  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2019). The cultural fabric of human causal cognition. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 14, 922–940.
  • Bender, A., Beller, S., & Medin, D. L. (2017). Causal cognition and culture. In M. R. Waldmann (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of causal reasoning (pp. 717-738). New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2016). Probing the cultural constitution of causal cognition—a research program. Frontiers in Psychology, 7:245, 1-6.

Grammatical gender and its possible cognitive implications

In languages with a formal gender system, all nouns are assigned to one of several classes that determine the declension of associated words. For instance, the moon is masculine in German (der Mond), whereas the sun is feminine (die Sonne). Does this entail that the sun is conceived as more female than the moon by German speakers? The question of whether grammatical categorisations like these affect how speakers conceptualise the denoted semantic properties has been controversially debated for decades. In our research, we combine explicit with implicit measures to investigate whether such a gender congruency effect can be observed and to identify the mechanisms responsible for them.

Anthropology and the cognitive sciences

The past decades have seen anthropology, once a pioneer discipline and a founding member of the cognitive sciences, turning into their “missing discipline” (Boden, 2006, Mind as machine: A history of cognitive science). As anthropology and cognitive science bring complementary expertise to the table – expertise in the cultural evolution, context, and content of cognition on the one hand, and expertise on the intricate details of cognitive processing on the other – joining forces is required to tackle the great challenges to research on human cognition. One of my main goals is thus not only to combine these disciplinary approaches in my own research, but to promote the rapprochement of anthropology and cognitive science more broadly, for instance by organizing symposia and workshops or by initiating scholarly debates.

 

Outreach

Reception in the media (selection)

 

QUANTA (ERC Synergy Grant project)

Mangarevan binary counting (Bender & Beller, 2014)

Finger counting systems (Bender & Beller, 2012)

Evolution of number systems (Beller & Bender, 2008)

 

Die Welt des Denkens (Bender & Beller, 2013)

 

Teaching

Teaching

Contribution to the following courses (previous and on-going)

Course responsible for

Textbooks on cognition, language, and culture

Several contributions to textbooks in psychology and anthropology

  • Bender, A. (2017). Kognitionsethnologie. In B. Beer, H. Fischer, & J. Pauli (Eds.), Ethnologie: Einführung in die Erforschung kultureller Vielfalt (pp. 229-246). Berlin: Reimer [9th, rev. ed.].
  • Bender, A. (2018). Sprache. In A. Kiesel & H. Spada (Eds.), Lehrbuch Allgemeine Psychologie [General psychology; 4th ed., completely revised and extended] (pp. 271-333). Göttingen: Hogrefe.
  • Bender, A. (2019). Language and thought. In R. J. Sternberg & J. Funke (Eds.), The psychology of human thought: An introduction (pp. 213-233). Heidelberg: Heidelberg University Publishing.

 

Publications
Abstract
Academic chapter/article/Conference paper
Academic article
Academic lecture
Academic literature review
Editorial
Encyclopedia article
Academic anthology/Conference proceedings
Book review

See a complete overview of publications in Cristin.

Publications

Under revision, accepted, or in press

  • Bender, A. (subm.). When bases clash: Cultural, cognitive, and practical ramifications of numeration systems used in parallel. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B.
  • Bender, A. (subm.) Numeral systems across cultures. International Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics (3rd ed.).
  • Dudojć, O., Bender, A., & Anceschi, C. (subm.). Handy numerals: Compositional elements in body-based numeration systems. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B.
  • d'Errico, F., Colagè, I., Straffon, L. M., & Bender, A. (subm.). The emergence and complexification of symbolic practices in the Homo lineage: An archaeological and cognitive perspective. [Manuscript under review]
  • d'Errico, F., Colagè, I., Straffon, L. M., & Bender, A. (in press). Emergence des pratiques symboliques et des croyances religieuses. In E. Vialet & Y. Coppens (Eds.), Symbols, myths and religious sense in humans since the first. Paris: Académie Pontificale des Sciences, Editions CNRS.
  • Øhrn, H., Pettersen Sjursen, E., Specht, K., Hugdahl, K., Straffon, L. M., & Bender, A. (in press). The neural underpinnings of repeated skill transfer in human cultural evolution. Frontiers in Psychology.
  • Papa, A., Kaaronen, R., & Bender, A. (Eds.) (accepted). Mushrooms as 'food for thought': Cognitive science perspectives on fungi. Topics in Cognitive Science.
  • Bender, A., & Oterhals, Å. (accepted). "Is this edible anyway?" The impact of culture on the evolution (and devolution) of mushroom knowledge. Topics in Cognitive Science.
  • Bender, A., Greenhill, S. J., Pelland, J.-C., & Walworth, M. (Eds.) (accepted). A solid base for scaling up: The structure of numeration systems [theme issue]. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B.

since 2021

  • Bender, A., Straffon, L. M., Gatewood, J. B., & Beller, S. (2024). The dual role of culture for reconstructing early sapiens cognition. Psychological Review, 131(6), 1411–1434. [https://doi.org/10.1037/rev0000462]
    [selected as an Editors's Choice paper by the editor of Psychological Review]
  • Bender, A., & Oterhals, Å. (2024). Relying on grandma’s mushrooms: How cultural models affect appraisals of edibility. In G. Bennardo, V. C. de Munck, & S. Chrisomalis (Eds), Cognition in and out of the mind: Advances in cultural model theory (pp. 293-319). NY: Palgrave-McMillan.
  • Bender, A., & Oterhals, Å. (2024). Norske (mat)sopper gjennom to århundrer: Hvordan spiselighetsvurderinger har utviklet seg fra Fries til Fagmykologisk råd. Funga, 2, 50-63.
  • Papa, A., & Bender, A. (2024). From fungi to thought: Exploring cognition in mushroom foraging. Proceedings of the 46th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 32-33). https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1f53j358
  • Papa, A., & Bender, A. (2023). Mushrooms as 'food for thought': Cognitive science perspectives on fungi. In M. Goldwater et al. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 45th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 36-37). [https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4014047c]
  • Straffon, L. M., Papa, A., Øhrn, H., & Bender, A. (2023). The different paths to cultural convergence [Commentary]. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 46, E253. [https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X23000560]
  • Bender, A. (2022). Toward greater integration: Fellows perspectives on Cognitive Science. Topics in Cognitive Science, 14, 6-13. [pdf]
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2021). Ways of counting in Micronesia. Historia Mathematica, 56, 40-72. [pdf]
  • Bender, A. (2021). Power numerals in the general counting systems of Micronesia (Version v1.0) [Data set]. Zenodo: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4696262.
  • Núñez, R. E., d'Errico, F., Gray, R. D., & Bender, A. (2021). The perception of quantity ain't number: Missing the primacy of symbolic reference [Commentary]. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 44: e199. [https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X21001023]
  • Bender, A., & Gatewood, J. B. (2021). Knowledge is belief – and shaped by culture [Commentary]. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 44: e143. [https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X20001582]
  • Bender, A. (2021). A scientific marketplace. Topics in Cognitive Science, 13, 6-9. [pdf]

2016 - 2020

  • Bender, A. (2020). The role of culture and evolution for human cognition. Topics in Cognitive Science, 12, 1403-1420. [pdf]
  • Bender, A., Teige-Mocigemba, S., Rothe-Wulf, A., Seel, M., & Beller, S. (2020). Being in front is good—but where is in front? Preferences for spatial referencing affect evaluation. Cognitive Science, 44, e12840. [early view] [pdf]
  • Bender, A., Beller, S., & Jordan, F. (Eds.) (2020). The cultural evolution of cognition [special issue]. Topics in Cognitive Science, 12(2), 644-783.
  • Beller, S., Bender, A., & Jordan, F. (2020). Editors’ review and introduction: The cultural evolution of cognition. Topics in Cognitive Science, 12, 644–653. [pdf]
  • Bender, A. (2020). The sense of obligation is culturally modulated [commentary on M. Tomasello's "The moral psychology of obligation"]. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 43, e61.
  • Bender, A. (2020). What early sapience cognition can teach us: Untangling cultural influences on human cognition across time. Frontiers in Psychology, 11:99, 1-6. [pdf]
  • Bender, A. (2020). What is causal cognition? Frontiers in Psychology, 11:3, 1-6. [pdf]
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2020). Cognition and cognitive science. In J. Stanlaw (Ed.), The international encyclopedia of linguistic anthropology (article 0057). Wiley Blackwell. [https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118786093.iela0057]
  • Mendoza Straffon, L., & Bender, A. (2020). Unravelling past cognition: Approaches across disciplines. In S. Denison, M. Mack, Y. Xu, & B. C. Armstrong (Eds.), Proceedings of the 42nd Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 236-237). Austin, TX: Cognitive Science Society. [pdf]
  • Haun, D. B. M., Liebal, K., Amici, F., Bender, A., Bohn, M., Bräuer, J., [...] & van Schaik, C. (2020). Ein Plädoyer für die Relevanz der Vergleichenden Psychologie für das Verständnis menschlicher Entwicklung. Psychologische Rundschau, 71(1), 40-41.
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2019). The cultural fabric of human causal cognition. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 14, 922–940. [pdf]
  • Bender, A. (2019). The value of diversity in cognitive science. Topics in Cognitive Science, 11, 853–863. [pdf]
  • Bender, A. (2019). The distinct roles of theory of mind and shared intentionality for the emergence of culture [Comment]. Current Anthropology, 60,182-183.
  • Mellet, E., Colagè, I., Bender, A., Henshilwood, C., Hugdahl, K., Lindstrøm, T. C., & d'Errico, F. (2019). What processes sparked off symbolic representations? A reply to Hodgson and an alternative perspective. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 28, 102043. [pdf]
  • Wilke, F., Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2019). Flexibility in adopting relative frames of reference in dorsal and lateral settings. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 72, 2393–2407. [pdf]
  • Bender, A. (2019). Language and thought. In R. J. Sternberg & J. Funke (Eds.), The psychology of human thought: An introduction (pp. 213-233). Heidelberg: Heidelberg University Publishing. [https://doi.org/10.17885/heiup.470.c6675]
  • Bender, A., Teige-Mocigemba, S., Rothe-Wulf, A., Seel, M., & Beller, S. (2019). Relative evaluation of location: How spatial frames of reference affect what we value. In A. K. Goel, C. M. Seifert, & C. Freksa (Eds.), Proceedings of the 41st Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 132-137). Montreal, QB: Cognitive Science Society.
  • Bender, A., Beller, S., & Klauer, K. C. (2018). Gender congruency from a neutral point of view: The roles of gender classes and gender-indicating articles. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 44, 1580-1608. [pdf]
  • Beller, S., Bender, A., Chrisomalis, S., Jordan, F. M., Overmann, K. A., Saxe, G. B., & Schlimm, D. (2018). The cultural challenge in mathematical cognition. Journal of Numerical Cognition, 4, 448-463. [pdf]
  • Bender, A., Rothe-Wulf, A., & Beller, S. (2018). Variability in the alignment of number and space across languages and tasks. Frontiers in Psychology, 9:1724, 1-19. [pdf]
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2018). Numeration systems as cultural tools for numerical cognition. In D. B. Berch, D. C. Geary, & K. Mann Koepke (Eds.), Mathematical cognition and learning: Language and culture in mathematical cognition (pp. 297-320). Cambridge, MA: Academic Press.
  • Beller, S., & Bender, A. (2018). Speech act of promising across cultures. In Y. Y. Kim (Ed.), The International Encyclopedia of Intercultural Communication. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley & Sons.
  • Beller, S., & Bender, A. (2018). Cognition and emotion. In H. Callan (Ed.), The International Encyclopedia of Anthropology (article 1941). Wiley-Blackwell.
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2018). Cognition, causal. In H. Callan (Ed.), The International Encyclopedia of Anthropology (article 1658). Wiley-Blackwell.
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2018). Ethnomathematics and numerical cognition. In H. Callan (Ed.), The International Encyclopedia of Anthropology (article 1675). Wiley-Blackwell.
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2018). Psykologiske perspektiv på kognitive implikasjonar av tospråklegheit. In E. Bjørhusdal, E. Bugge, J. O. Fretland, & A.-K. H. Gujord (Eds.), Å skrive nynorsk og bokmål: Nye tverrfaglege perspektiv (s. 20-30). Oslo: Det Norske Samlaget.
  • Bender, A. (2018). Sprache. In A. Kiesel & H. Spada (Eds.), Lehrbuch Allgemeine Psychologie [General psychology; 4th ed., completely revised and extended] (pp. 271-333). Göttingen: Hogrefe.
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2017). The power of 2: How an apparently irregular numeration system facilitates mental arithmetic. Cognitive Science, 41, 158–187.
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2017). Number systems in Oceania: The cultural evolution of a cognitive tool. In J. W. Adams, P. Barmby, & A. Mesoudi (Eds.), The nature and development of mathematics: Cross disciplinary perspectives on cognition, learning and culture (pp. 110-130). London: Routledge.
  • Beller, S., & Bender, A. (2017). Commentary on "Early emergence of quantitative knowledge: Implications for educational practice" by D. C. Geary. In J. W. Adams, P. Barmby, & A. Mesoudi (Eds.), The nature and development of mathematics (pp. 105–109). London: Routledge.
  • Beller, S., &  Bender, A. (2017). Theory, the final frontier? A corpus-based analysis of the role of theory in psychological articles. Frontiers in Psychology: Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, 8:951, 1-16. [pdf]
  • Bender, A., Beller, S., & Medin, D. L. (2017). Causal cognition and culture. In M. R. Waldmann (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of causal reasoning (pp. 717-738). New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Beller, S., Bender, A., & Waldmann, M. R. (Eds.) (2017). Diversity and universality in causal cognition. Lausanne: Frontiers Media. [https://www.frontiersin.org/books/Diversity_and_Universality_in_Causal_Cognition/1413]
  • Beller, S., Bender, A., & Waldmann, M. R. (2017). Editorial: Diversity and universality in causal cognition. Frontiers in Psychology, 8:1767, 1-3.
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2017). Agents and patients in physical settings: Linguistic cues affect the assignment of causality in German and Tongan. Frontiers in Psychology: Cognitive Science, 8:1093, 1-16. [pdf]
  • Beller, S., &  Bender, A. (2017). How relative is the relative frame of reference? Front and back in Norwegian, Farsi, German, and Japanese. In G. Gunzelmann, A. Howes, T. Tenbrink, & E. J. Davelaar (Eds.), Proceedings of the 39th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 118-123). Austin, TX: Cognitive Science Society.
  • Bender, A., Sjåfjell, K., Rothe-Wulf, A., & Beller, S. (2017). Representing time in terms of space: Directions of mental timelines in Norwegian. In G. Gunzelmann, A. Howes, T. Tenbrink, & E. J. Davelaar (Eds.), Proceedings of the 39th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 1617-1622). Austin, TX: Cognitive Science Society.
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2017). Anthropological contributions to cognitive science. In G. Gunzelmann, A. Howes, T. Tenbrink, & E. J. Davelaar (Eds.), Proceedings of the 39th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 21-22). Austin, TX: Cognitive Science Society.
  • Bender, A. (2017). Wie Sprache und Kultur unser Denken beeinflussen [How language and culture affect our way of thinking]. Nova Acta Leopoldina, 414, 61-80.
  • Bender, A. (2017). Kognitionsethnologie. In B. Beer, H. Fischer, & J. Pauli (Eds.), Ethnologie: Einführung in die Erforschung kultureller Vielfalt (pp. 229-246). Berlin: Reimer [9th, rev. ed.].
  • Bender, A., Beller, S., & Klauer, K. C. (2016). Crossing grammar and biology for gender categorizations: Investigating the gender congruency effect in generic nouns for animates. Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 28(5), 530-558.
  • Bender, A., Beller, S., & Klauer, K. C. (2016). Lady Liberty and Godfather Death as candidates for linguistic relativity? Scrutinizing the gender congruency effect on personified allegories with explicit and implicit measures. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 69(1), 48-64.
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2016). Current perspectives on cognitive diversity. Frontiers in Psychology: Cultural Psychology, 7:509, 1-7. [pdf].
  • Beller, S., Bohlen, J., Hüther, L., & Bender, A. (2016). Perspective taking in referring to objects behind versus in front of an observer: Frames of reference, intraindividual consistency, and response latencies. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 69(7), 1384-1408.
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2016). Probing the cultural constitution of causal cognition – a research program. Frontiers in Psychology: Cultural Psychology, 7:245, 1-6. [pdf]
  • Beller, S., Bender, A., Caldwell, C. A., Christiansen, M. H., Overmann, K. A., & Smith, K. (2016). The cultural evolution of cognition [symposium]. In A. Papafragou, D. Grodner, D. Mirman, & J. C. Trueswell (Eds.), Proceedings of the 38th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 43-44). Austin, TX: Cognitive Science Society.
  • Bender, A., & Hanus, D. (2016). Die sozio-kulturelle Matrix menschlicher Wahrnehmung. In G. Hartung & M. Herrgen (Eds.), Jahrbuch Interdisziplinäre Anthropologie (pp. 51-58). Wiesbaden: Springer VS.

2011 - 2015

  • Beller, S., & Bender, A. (Eds.) (2015). Exploring cognitive diversity: Anthropological perspectives on cognition. Topics in Cognitive Science, 7(4).
  • Beller, S., & Bender, A. (2015). Exploring cognitive diversity: Anthropological perspectives on cognition [Introduction]. Topics in Cognitive Science, 7, 548-551.
  • Bender, A., Schlimm, D., & Beller, S. (2015). The cognitive advantages of counting specifically: A representational analysis of verbal numeration systems in Oceanic languages. Topics in Cognitive Science, 7, 552-569.
  • Bender, A., Beller, S., & Nersessian, N. J. (2015). Diversity as asset. Topics in Cognitive Science, 7, 677-688.
  • Bender, A. (2015). (Co-)evolution of numerical cognition and its tools. [Comment on "Numerosity structures the expression of quantity in lexical numbers and grammatical number"]. Current Anthropology, 56, 645-646.
  • Beller, S., Brattebø, K. F., Lavik, K. O., Reigstad, R. D., & Bender, A. (2015). Culture or language: What drives effects of grammatical gender? Cognitive Linguistics, 26, 331-359.
  • Rothe-Wulf, A., Beller, S., & Bender, A. (2015). Temporal frames of reference in three Germanic languages: Individual consistency, interindividual consensus, and cross-linguistic variability. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 68, 917-939.
  • Beller, S., Singmann, H., Hüther, L., & Bender, A. (2015). Turn around to have a look? Spatial referencing in dorsal vs. frontal settings in cross-linguistic comparison. Frontiers in Psychology: Cognition, 6:1283, 1-17. [pdf].
  • Beller, S., & Bender, A. (2015). How contrast situations affect the assignment of causality in symmetric physical settings. Frontiers in Psychology: Cognition, 5:1497, 1-10. [pdf].
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2015). The mutual challenge of anthropology and cognitive science. Social Anthropology/Anthropologie Sociale, 23 (2), 199-200.
  • Beer, B., & Bender, A. (2015). Causal inferences about others' behavior among the Wampar, Papua New Guinea - and why they are hard to elicit. Frontiers in Psychology: Cognitive Science, 6:128, 1-14. [pdf].
  • Wassmann, J., & Bender, A. (2015). Cognitive anthropology. In J. D. Wright (Ed.), International encyclopedia of the social & behavioral sciences (2nd ed., vol. 4, pp. 16-22). Oxford: Elsevier.
  • Beller, S., & Bender, A. (2015). Causality and agency across cultures and languages [symposium]. In D. C. Noelle, R. Dale, A. S. Warlaumont, J. Yoshimi, T. Matlock, C. D. Jennings, & P. P. Maglio (Eds.), Proceedings of the 37th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 21-22). Austin, TX: Cognitive Science Society.
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2014). Mangarevan invention of binary steps for easier calculation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 111(4), 1322-1327. [pdf]
    see also comments by Adrian Viliami Bell, Philip Ball on nature.com, Ingrid Spilde on forskning.no
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2014). Mapping spatial frames of reference onto time: A review of theoretical accounts and empirical findings. Cognition, 132, 342-382.
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2014). The role of culture and language for numerical cognition [symposium]. In M. P. Bello, M. Guarini, M. McShane, & B. Scassellati (Eds.), Proceedings of the 36th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (64-65). Austin, TX: Cognitive Science Society.
  • Beller, S., Bender, A., & Waldmann, M. R. (Eds.) (2014). Diversity and universality in causal cognition. Frontiers in Psychology: Cognitive Science. [completed in 2017; see https://www.frontiersin.org/books/Diversity_and_Universality_in_Causal_Cognition/1413]
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2013). Die Welt des Denkens: Kognitive Einheit, kulturelle Vielfalt [The world of reasoning: Cognitive unity, cultural diversity]. Bern: Huber.
  • Bender, A. (2013). Two accounts of traditional Mangarevan counting ... and how to evaluate them. Journal of the Polynesian Society, 122(3), 275-287.
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2013). Of adding oranges and apples: How non-abstract representations may foster abstract numerical cognition. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7:903, 1-3.[pdf].
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2013). Cognition is ... fundamentally cultural. Behavioral Sciences, 3(1), 42-54.[pdf].
  • Röttger-Rössler, B., & Bender, A. (2013). Sozial- und Kulturanthropologie / Kognitionsethnologie. In A. Stephan & S. Walter (Hrsg.), Handbuch Kognitionswissenschaft (S. 35-41). Stuttgart: Verlag J. B. Metzler.
  • Beller, S., & Bender, A. (Eds.) (2013). Exploring cognitive diversity across disciplines and cultures [symposium]. In M. Knauff, M. Pauen, N. Sebanz, & I. Wachsmuth (Eds.), Proceedings of the 35th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 67-68). Austin, TX: Cognitive Science Society. [pdf].
  • Hüther, L., Bentz, A., Spada, H., Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2013). Influences beyond language? A comparison of spatial referencing in native French speakers from four countries. In M. Knauff, M. Pauen, N. Sebanz, & I. Wachsmuth (Eds.), Proceedings of the 35th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 2602-2607). Austin, TX: Cognitive Science Society. [pdf].
  • Bender, A. (2013). Kognitionsethnologie. In B. Beer & H. Fischer (Eds.), Ethnologie: Einführung und Überblick (pp. 287-307). Berlin: Reimer [8th ed.].
  • Träuble, B., Bender, A., & Konieczny, C. (2013). Human social cognition - the theory of mind research. In J. Wassmann, B. Träuble, & J. Funke (Eds.), Theory of mind in the Pacific: Reasoning across cultures (pp. 13-37). Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter.
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2012). Nature and culture of finger counting: Diversity and representational effects of an embodied cognitive tool. Cognition, 124, 156-182. [pdf].
  • Bender, A., Beller, S., & Medin, D. L. (Eds.) (2012). Does cognitive science need anthropology? Topics in Cognitive Science, 4(3).
  • Beller, S., Bender, A., & Medin, D. L. (2012). Should anthropology be part of cognitive science? Topics in Cognitive Science, 4(3), 342-353.
  • Bender, A., Beller, S., & Medin, D.L. (2012). Turning tides: Prospects for more diversity in cognitive science. Topics in Cognitive Science, 4(3), 462-466.
  • Bender, A., Rothe-Wulf, A., Hüther, L., & Beller, S. (2012). Moving forward in space and time: How strong is the conceptual link between spatial and temporal frames of reference? Frontiers in Psychology: Cultural Psychology, 3:486, 1-11.[pdf].
  • Bender, A., Spada, H., Rothe-Wulf, A., Traber, S., & Rauss, K. (2012). Anger elicitation in Tonga and Germany: The impact of culture on cognitive determinants of emotions. Frontiers in Psychology: Cultural Psychology, 3:435, 1-20. [pdf].
  • Bender, A. (2012). Kognitionsethnologie. In B. Beer & H. Fischer (Eds.), Ethnologie: Einführung und Überblick (pp. 287-307). Berlin: Reimer [7th ed.].
  • Bender, A. (2012). Niko Besnier: “On the edge of the global: Modern anxieties in a Pacific Island nation” [Book Review]. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 18, 915-916.
  • Beller, S., & Bender, A. (2012). Competent deontic reasoning: The abstract deontic selection task revisited.  In N. Miyake, D. Peebles, & R. P. Cooper (Eds.), Proceedings of the 34th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 114-119). Austin, TX: Cognitive Science Society. [pdf].
  • Beller, S., Bender, A., Duda, S., Hagmayer, Y., Schroven, A., Stenning, K., & Wiese, H. (2012). The cultural constitution of causal cognition: Cross-disciplinary perspectives from the ZiF research group. In U. Schmid, M. Siebers, C.-C. Carbon, M. Raab, J. Rüsseler, T. Gross, C. Schlieder & D. Dörner (Eds.), Proceedings of KogWis 2012 (pp. 22–25). Bamberg: University of Bamberg Press.
  • Bender, A., Beller, S., & Klauer, K. C. (2011). Grammatical gender in German - a case for linguistic relativity? Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 64, 1821-1835. [pdf].
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2011). Fingers as a tool for counting - naturally fixed or culturally flexible? Frontiers in Psychology: Cognition, 2:256, 1-3.[pdf].
  • Beller, S., & Bender, A. (2011). Explicating numerical information: When and how fingers support (or hinder) number comprehension and handling. Frontiers in Psychology: Cognition, 2:214, 1-3. [pdf].
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2011). Causal asymmetry across cultures: Assigning causal roles in symmetric physical settings. Frontiers in Psychology: Cultural Psychology, 2:231, 1-10. [pdf].
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2011). Space (and time) for culture [symposium]. In L. Carlson, C. Hölscher, & T. Shipley (Eds.), Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp.1338-1339). Austin, TX: Cognitive Science Society. [pdf].
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2011). Cultural variation in numeration systems and their mapping onto the mental number line. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 42 (4), 579-597. [pdf]
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2011). The cultural constitution of cognition: Taking the anthropological perspective. Frontiers in Psychology: Cognitive Science, 2:67, 1-6. [pdf]
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2011). Numerical cognition and ethnomathematics. In D. B. Kronenfeld, G. Bennardo, V. C. de Munck, & M. D. Fischer (Eds.), A companion to cognitive anthropology (pp. 270-289). Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.

2006 - 2010

  • Bender, A., Hutchins, E., & Medin, D. L. (2010). Anthropology in cognitive science. Topics in Cognitive Science, 2, 374-385. [Fulltext].
  • Bender, A., Beller, S., & Bennardo, G. (2010). Temporal frames of reference: Conceptual analysis and empirical evidence from German, English, Mandarin Chinese, and Tongan. Journal of Cognition and Culture, 10, 283-307. [Fulltext]
  • Beller, S., & Bender, A. (2010). Allgemeine Psychologie - Denken und Sprache. Göttingen: Hogrefe.
  • Bender, A., & Röttger-Rössler, B. (Eds.) (2010). Ethnologie und Kognitionswissenschaften im Dialog [Special Issue]. Zeitschrift für Ethnologie, 135 (2).
  • Bender, A., & Röttger-Rössler, B. (2010). Ethnologie und Kognitionswissenschaften im Dialog. Zeitschrift für Ethnologie, 135, 177-183. [pdf from JSTOR]
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2010). Die Ethnologie - eine tragende Säule im Gebäude der Kognitionswissenschaften? Zeitschrift für Ethnologie, 135, 185-198. [pdf from JSTOR]
  • Beller, S., & Bender, A. (2010). Kognitionsethnologie und Kognitionspsychologie: Synergien nutzen. Zeitschrift für Ethnologie, 135, 233-248. [pdf from JSTOR]
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2010). Bridging the gap: From cognitive anthropology to cognitive science [symposium]. In S. Ohlsson & R. Catrambone (Eds.), Proceedings of the 32nd Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 2767-2768). Austin, TX: Cognitive Science Society. [Fulltext].
  • Beller, S., Bender, A., & Song, J. (2009). Weighing up physical causes: Effects of culture, linguistic cues and content. Journal of Cognition and Culture, 9, 347-365. [Fulltext]
  • Beller, S., Bender, A., & Song, J. (2009). Conditional promises and threats in Germany, China, and Tonga: Cognition and emotion. Journal of Cognition and Culture, 9, 115-139. [Fulltext]
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2009). Mathematical cognition and its cultural dimension [symposium]. In N. Taatgen & H. van Rijn (Eds.), Proceedings of the 31st Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 2079-2080). Austin, TX: Cognitive Science Society. [Fulltext].
  • Beller, S., & Bender, A. (2009). Universitäre Lehre nach dem Prinzip «Erarbeiten, Vertiefen, Anwenden»: Ein Vergleich von EVA-Seminaren mit Referate-Seminaren. In M. Krämer, S. Preiser & K. Brusdeylins (Hrsg.), Psychologiedidaktik und Evaluation VII (pp. 225-233). Aachen: Shaker.
  • Bender, A. (2009). Heiliger Zorn im "Paradies"? Emotionen im Kulturvergleich. In A. Wagner (Hg.), Anthropologische Aufbrüche (S. 297-318). Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.
  • Beller, S., & Bender, A. (2008). The limits of counting: Numerical cognition between evolution and culture. Science, 319, 213-215. [Fulltext].
  • Bender, A. (2008). Die Ausdehnung des kognitiven Raums durch kulturelle Werkzeuge. Erwägen Wissen Ethik, 19, 163-164.
  • Bender, A. (2008). Vom Eigenen zum Fremden: Zuschreibungen an andere Personen und in anderen Kulturen. In R. I. Schubotz (Ed.), Other Minds: Die Gedanken und Gefühle Anderer (pp. 175-190). Paderborn: Mentis-Verlag.
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2008). Extending the limits of counting in Oceania: Adapting tools for numerical cognition to cultural needs. In B. C. Love, K. McRae, & V. M. Sloutsky (Eds.), Proceedings of the 30th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 821-826). Austin, TX: Cognitive Science Society. [Fulltext].
  • Bender, A. (2008). Meshing a tight net: A cultural response to the threat of open access fishing grounds. In M. J. Casimir (Ed.), Culture and the changing environment: Uncertainty, cognition, and risk management in cross-cultural perspective (pp. 197-218). Oxford: Berghahn. [also published as paperback in 2009]
  • Nerb, J., Bender, A., & Spada, H. (2008). Attributed causes of environmental problems: A cross-cultural study of coping strategies. In M. J. Casimir (Ed.), Culture and the changing environment: Uncertainty, cognition, and risk management in cross-cultural perspective (pp. 107-123). Oxford: Berghahn. [also published as paperback in 2009]
  • Beller, S., & Bender, A. (2007). Spezifische Zahlsysteme in Tonga: Kognitive Grundlagen, historische Wurzeln und kulturelle Adaptation. Freiburg: Kleine Schriftenreihe des F.I.P.S., Heft 8.
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2007). Numeral classifiers in specific counting systems: Cultural context, linguistic principles, and cognitive implications. In D. S. McNamara & J. G. Trafton (Eds.), Proceedings of the 29th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 821-826). New York: Lawrence Erlbaum. [Fulltext].
  • Bender, A., Spada, H., Swoboda, H., Traber, S., & Rauss, K. (2007). Anger in a just world? The impact of cultural concepts on cognition and emotion. In D. S. McNamara & J. G. Trafton (Eds.), Proceedings of the 29th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 101-106). New York: Lawrence Erlbaum. [Fulltext].
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2007). Counting in Tongan: The traditional number systems and their cognitive implications. Journal of Cognition and Culture, 7, 213-239. [Fulltext].
  • Bender, A., Spada, H., Seitz, S., Swoboda, H., & Traber, S. (2007). Anger and rank in Tonga and Germany: Cognition, emotion, and context. Ethos, 35, 196-234. [Fulltext].
  • Bender, A. (2007). Changes in social orientation: Threats to a cultural institution in marine resource exploitation in Tonga. Human Organization, 66, 11-21. [Fulltext].
  • Kronen, M., & Bender, A. (2007). Assessing marine resource exploitation in Lofanga, Tonga: One case study - two approaches. Human Ecology, 35, 195-207. [Fulltext].
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2006). Cultural impacts on cognition [symposium]. In R. Sun & N. Miyake (Eds.), Proceedings of the 28th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (p. 2657). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. [Fulltext].
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2006). "Fanciful" or genuine? Bases and high numerals in Polynesian number systems. Journal of the Polynesian Society, 115, 7-46. [Fulltext].
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2006). Numeral classifiers and counting systems in Polynesian and Micronesian languages: Common roots and cultural adaptations. Oceanic Linguistics, 45, 380-403. [Fulltext].
  • Bender, A., Spada, H., Swoboda, H., & Traber, S. (2006). Responsibility for bad deeds - and for good? The impact of cultural attribution tendencies on cognition and emotion. In R. Sun & N. Miyake (Eds.), Proceedings of the 28th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 65-70). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. [Fulltext].

2000 - 2005

  • Beller, S., Bender, A., & Kuhnmünch, G. (2005). Understanding conditional promises and threats. Thinking and Reasoning, 11, 209-238. [Fulltext].
  • Beller, S., & Bender, A. (2005). The cognitive advantages of counting specifically: An analysis of Polynesian number systems. In B. G. Bara, L. Barsalou, & M. Bucciarelli (Eds.), Proceedings of the 27th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 214-219). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. [Fulltext].
  • Bender, A., Bennardo, G., & Beller, S. (2005). Spatial frames of reference for temporal relations: A conceptual analysis in English, German, and Tongan. In B. G. Bara, L. Barsalou, & M. Bucciarelli (Eds.), Proceedings of the 27th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 220-225). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. [Fulltext].
  • Beller, S., & Bender, A. (2004). Cultural differences in the cognition and emotion of conditional promises and threats: Comparing Germany and Tonga. In K. D. Forbus, D. Gentner, & T. Regier (Eds.), Proceedings of the 26th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 85-90). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
  • Bender, A. (2004). Die zweite Besiedlung Ozeaniens. In Faszination Weltgeschichte: Wie wir wurden, was wir sind. Band 1: Völker, Staaten und Kulturen (S. 38-39). Gütersloh, München: Wissen Media Verlag.
  • Bender, A. (2004). Die Religionen Ozeaniens. In Faszination Weltgeschichte: Wie wir wurden, was wir sind. Band 2: Religionen und Glaubensformen (S. 80-81). Gütersloh, München: Wissen Media Verlag.
  • Bender, A., & Beller, S. (2003). Polynesian tapu in the 'deontic square': A cognitive concept, its linguistic expression and cultural context. In R. Alterman & D. Kirsh (Eds.), Proceedings of the 25th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 127-132). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
  • Bender, A. (2002). Environmental models, cultural values, and emotions: Implications for marine resource use in Tonga. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 11, 58-62. [Fulltext].
  • Bender, A. (2002). "Tragödie des Fischfangs" in Tonga? Die Bedeutung kultureller Institutionen bei der Gemeingutnutzung ["Tragedy of fishing" in Tonga? The significance of cultural institutions for common pool resources]. Zeitschrift Umweltpsychologie, 6, 26-41.
  • Bender, A., Kägi, W., & Mohr, E. (2002). Informal insurance and sustainable management of common-pool marine resources in Ha'apai, Tonga. Economic Development and Cultural Change, 50, 427-439. [Fulltext].
  • Bender, A., Spada, H., & Seitz, S. (2001). Verantwortungszuschreibung und Ärger: Emotionale Situationsbewertung (appraisal) in polynesischen und 'westlichen' Kulturen. [Ascription of responsibility and anger: Emotional appraisal in Polynesian and 'Western' cultures]. Freiburg: Forschungsberichte des Psychologischen Instituts der Universität Freiburg; Nr.153 [download from Psychologisches Institut: Forschungsberichte].
  • Bender, A. (2001). Fischer im Netz: Strategien der Ressourcennutzung und Konfliktbewältigung in Ha'apai, Tonga [Fisher in the net: Strategies of resource use and conflict management in Ha'apai, Tonga (with English summary)]. Herbolzheim: Centaurus.
  • Bender, A. (2001). "God will send us the fish": Perception and evaluation of an environmental risk in Ha'apai, Tonga. Research in Social Problems and Public Policy, 9, 165-190.
  • Bender, A. (2001). Die 'Tabu-Falle': Über die Ambivalenz religiös motivierter Verhaltensregeln zum Artenschutz [The 'taboo trap': The ambivalence of religiously motivated guidelines for species protection (with English abstract)]. In D. Büchner & Freiburger Institut für Paläowissenschaftliche Studien (Eds.), Studien in memoriam Wilhelm Schüle (pp. 27-39). Rahden: Verlag Marie Leidorf.
  • Bender, A., Noack, J., & Schuster, S. (2000). Grenzen einer Inselwelt: Nutzung endemischer Arten zwischen Overkill und Artenschutz [Limits of an island world: Exploitation of endemic species between overkill and species protection (with English abstract)]. Freiburg: Kleine Schriftenreihe des F.I.P.S., Heft 5.
  • Bender, A. (2000). Sharing fishing grounds and sharing food: How a cultural institution helps to protect an open access resource. In VIII Biennial Conference of the International Association for the Study of Common Property (IASCP), Bloomington/Indiana, May 31 - June 4, 2000: Papers & Abstracts [CD-ROM]. Bloomington, IN: Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis. [Fulltext].

1997 - 1999

  • Ernst, A. M., Eisentraut, R., Bender, A., Kägi, W., Mohr, E., & Seitz, S. (1998). Stabilisierung der Kooperation im Allmende-Dilemma durch institutionelle und kulturelle Rahmenbedingungen [Stabilizing cooperation in a commons dilemma through institutional and cultural settings]. GAIA, 7, 271-278.
  • Bender, A. (1998). Factors of sustainability in Palau and New Zealand. Marine Studies Technical Report, 98, 126-140 [Special Issue on Fisheries and Marine Resources, ed. by J. Seeto & N. Bulai, Suva, Fiji].
  • Bender, A. (1997). Beute unter Tabu: Traditionelles Umweltverhalten in Mikronesien und Polynesien [Prey under taboo: Traditional environmental behaviour in Micronesia and Polynesia]. Freiburg: Verlag Wissenschaft & Öffentlichkeit.
Projects

ERC Synergy Grant 2020 for

The Evolution of Cognitive Tools for Quantification (QUANTA)

Principal Investigators:

Things come in specific quantities, and numbers are everywhere: when we trade, participate in a competition, or try to get a pandemic under control. The symbolic systems that capture such quantities are our cognitive tools for quantification, and we employ them to understand and transform the world. But when, why, and how did humans develop these tools? And why do they differ so massively across cultures? Finding answers to these questions is the prime goal of QUANTA. To achieve this, we will combine approaches and methods from anthropology, archaeology, cognitive science, evolutionary biology, linguistics, and psychology. If successful, our project will transform our understanding of how a fundamental (and uniquely) human characteristic emerged and diversified: our ability to quantify.

ERC project number: 951388
Starting date: Sep 1, 2021

Referred to

 

NFR Centre of Excellence for

Early Sapiens Behaviour (SapienCE)

Principal Investigators:

Current archaeological evidence, although limited, highlights 100-50 ka as being a watershed for human cognitive, technological, and social development in Africa. With a focus on the southern Cape region, an exceptionally rich excavation site, our CoE investigates where, when and why early humans started to think and behave like we do today.

NFR project number: 262618
Duration and host: 2017-2026, U Bergen, Norway