1 Psychology 307: Cultural Psychology Lecture 20

2 Papers are due on Tuesday, April 5 th, Students are expected to submit their papers during class time. If you are unable to attend class on the day the paper is due, please have someone hand it in for you during class. Papers left in my mailbox, the TA’s mailbox, or submitted via will not be accepted. Reminders

Psychology 3053 Go to click on “New User” in the upper right hand corner of the screen to create your own account. You will need the following information to add this course to your profile: Class ID: Course: Psyc 307 – Cultural 2011 Password: cultures2011 Detailed step-by-step instructions for creating your user profile and submitting your paper are available at: TurnItIn Instructions

4 Announcements 1. Please note that grades for the second midterm exam are now available on the course website. The mean score on the exam was 66% (SD = 18%, range= %).

5 TA for students with last names A-Q: Kate, TA for students with last names R-Z: Will, The TAs will hold a review session for the midterm exam on Friday, April 1 st, at 12:00 PM. Please meet the TAs in Kenny, If you are unable to attend the session and would like to review your exam, you may see your TA during her/his office hours or contact your TA to schedule an appointment to meet.

6 2. Please note that course evaluations are available online. If you have not received an directing you to the evaluations for this course, you may provide your evaluation at: Course evaluations will be available until April 10 th. Your feedback is extremely valuable—both to the Psychology Department and to me.

7 Perception and Cognition 1.Does culture influence visual perception? (continued) 2.Does culture influence cognition?

8 2. define the terms analytic thinking, holistic thinking, field independence, and field dependence. 3. review research demonstrating cultural differences in field independence and field dependence. 1. discuss cultural variation in depth perception and artistic images. By the end of today’s class, you should be able to:

9 4. discuss explanations for cultural differences in field independence and field dependence. 5. discuss the influence of analytic thinking and holistic thinking on categorization and attribution.

10 ●In addition to pictorial depth perception, recent research (e.g., Masuda, Gonzales, et al., 2008) has demonstrated distinctions between Western and Eastern art in: position of horizon. size of focal object. Does culture influence visual perception? (continued) (b) Pictorial Depth Perception (continued)

12 Shama: Moghul Hunting Scene, Year Unknown

Da Vinci: Mona Lisa,

Manohar: Portrait of Jahangir Holding a Falcon,

Comparisons of Museum Paintings (Masuda, Gonzales, et al., 2008)

16 ●Similar distinctions have been observed in: drawings by laypersons in distinct cultures. photos taken by laypersons in distinct cultures.

Drawing by a European American Female (Masuda, Gonzales, et al., 2008)

Drawing by an East Asian Female (Masuda, Gonzales, et al., 2008)

Comparisons of Student Drawings (Masuda, Gonzales, et al., 2008)

American Photos (Masuda, Gonzales, et al., 2008)

East Asian Photos (Masuda, Gonzales, et al., 2008)

Photo Comparisons (Masuda, Gonzales, et al., 2008)

23 ●These differences in art and photography appear to reflect cultural differences in the tendency to focus on “object versus field.”

24 (c) Tendency to Focus on “Object versus Field” ● The Rod and Frame Task (RFT):

25 ●Research suggests that people from collectivistic cultures are more likely than people from individualistic cultures to perceive the rod as tilted. E.g., Ji, Peng, and Nisbett (2000): Found that Chinese, Japanese and Korean participants made more errors on the RFT than American participants of European descent.

26 ●In light of such findings, theorists suggest that people from individualistic cultures are relatively high in “field independence,” whereas people from collectivistic cultures are relatively high in “field dependence.”

27 ●The greater field independence of individualists and greater field dependence of collectivists has been demonstrated using other methodologies:  Example: Masuda and Nisbett (2001)  Recruited Japanese and American participants.

Instructions: Describe what you see.

 Found that: Americans typically started by describing the focal animal (i.e., the wolf). Japanese typically started by describing the context (i.e., the snowy forest scene). When the context was changed, Japanese recognition of the animal decreased; American recognition of the animal was relatively unaffected.

Accuracy

32  Example: Masuda, Ellsworth, et al. (2008)  Employed an eye monitor to track participants’ eye gaze as they looked at images of cartoons depicting distinct emotions.  Recruited Japanese and American participants.

How does the boy in the center feel?

 Found that: Judgments of the target’s facial expression were more strongly influenced by the facial expressions of surrounding others among Japanese than Americans. Japanese spent more time than Americans looking at the individuals surrounding the target.

American Gaze Japanese Gaze

37 ●Explanations for cultural differences field independence and dependence: (i) Socialization In contrast, members of collectivistic cultures are socialized to focus on the relations among people or objects. Members of individualistic cultures are socialized to focus on the attributes that distinguish people or objects.

38 (ii) Landscape Complexity American landscapes are less ambiguous and contain fewer elements than East Asian landscapes. Accordingly, living in American environments directs one’s attention to distinctive and focal objects, whereas living in East Asian environments directs one’s attention to the whole field.

39 E.g., Miyamoto et al. (2006): Found that (a) American landscapes contain fewer objects than Japanese landscapes and (b) the objects in American landscapes are more distinctive (i.e., stand out more) than the objects in Japanese landscapes.

40

41 Does culture influence cognition? ● Cultural differences in field dependence versus independence reflect a more general cognitive difference between people from individualistic cultures and people from collectivisitic cultures: People from individualistic cultures tend to engage in analytic thinking, whereas people from collectivistic cultures tend to engage in holistic thinking.

42 ● Theorists (e.g., Nisbett et al., 2001) argue that these styles of thinking have their origins in the traditions of ancient Greek and ancient Chinese civilizations, respectively. ● In addition to their impact on perception (e.g., the RFT), these styles of thinking have a profound influence on a variety of cognitive processes:

43 1. Categorization Americans are more likely than East Asians to categorize objects on the basis of their common attributes. In contrast, East Asians are more likely than Americans to categorize objects on the basis of their temporal, causal, or spatial relationships.

44 2. Attribution In contrast, East Asians are more likely than Americans to attribute behaviour to situational or transient factors. Americans are more likely than East Asians to attribute behaviour to the internal dispositions of the person (i.e., the fundamental attribution error).

45 Perception and Cognition 1.Does culture influence visual perception? (continued) 2.Does culture influence cognition?