1. 1 Psychology 307: Cultural Psychology Lecture 18

2. 2 Morality, Perception and Cognition 1.Do cultures differ in their views on distributive justice? 2.Does culture influence visual perception?

3. 3 1. discuss cultural variation in the principles of need, equality, and equity. 2. distinguish between sensation and perception. By the end of today’s class, you should be able to: 3. explain cultural differences in susceptibility to the Mueller-Lyer illusion and horizontal-vertical illusion. 4. discuss cultural variation in depth perception. 5. review evidence supporting cultural differences in “object versus field.”

4. Do cultures differ in their views on distributive justice? ● Three principles have been identified with respect to beliefs regarding the distribution of resources: The principle of need. The principle of equality (e.g., seniority systems). The principle of equity (e.g., meritocracy systems) 4

5. 5 ● Research suggests that cultures vary in the extent to which they endorse these principles:  Example: Murphy-Berman et al. (1984) Presented Americans and Indians with the following scenario:

6. 6 A company manager must distribute a bonus to two employees. One employee has excellent work performance and an adequate economic situation. The other employee has only average work performance but is in a poor financial situation with an illness in the family. Should the bulk of the bonus be given to the excellent employee, the needy employee, or split evenly between them?

7. 7 Percentage Choosing Strategy

8. 8 These results suggest that perceptions of fairness (i.e., what constitutes a fair distribution of resources) differ across cultures.

9. 9 Does culture influence visual perception? ● Perception: The process by which the brain selects, organizes, and interprets the sensory information that it receives from the sense organs; produces internal representations of external stimuli.

10. 10 ● The internal representations produced through perception are not always accurate representations of external stimuli. In processing sensory information, the brain tends to reconstruct information or “fill in” missing information. ● The brain’s tendency to reconstruct information is illustrated by the following example:

11. 11 The Thatcher Effect (Thompson, 1980)

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13. 13 ● The internal representations produced through perception are largely influenced by prior experience:

14. 14 T E C T

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16. 16 ● Given the impact of prior experience on perception, theorists have reasoned that there should be cultural differences in perception. ● Consistent with this view, studies have found cultural differences in (a) susceptibility to optical illusions, (b) pictorial depth perception, and (c) the tendency to focus on “object versus field.”

17. 17 (a) Susceptibility to Optical Illusions ● The Mueller-Lyer Illusion

18. 18 ●Research suggests that people from non-industrialized cultures are less susceptible to this illusion than people from industrialized cultures. E.g., Segall et al. (1963): Found that Americans were more susceptible to this illusion than people from 13 non-industrialized cultures. ●Explanation for this cultural difference: Carpentered world theory.

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20. 20 ● The Horizontal-Vertical Illusion

21. 21 ●Research suggests that people who reside in enclosed environments are less susceptible to this illusion than people who reside in open environments. E.g., Jones (1974): Found that people from rural areas were more susceptible to this illusion than people from urban areas.

22. 22 ●Explanation for this cultural difference: Foreshortening theory.

23. 23 “And then he saw the buffalo, still grazing lazily several miles away, far down below. He turned to me and said, 'What insects are those?' At first I hardly understood, then I realized that in the forest vision is so limited that there is no great need to make an automatic allowance for distance when judging size. Out here in the plains, Kenge was looking for the first time over apparently unending miles of unfamiliar grasslands, with not a tree … to give him any basis for comparison.... When I told Kenge that the insects were buffalo, he roared with laughter and told me not to tell such stupid lies.” (Turnbull, 1963, p. 217)

24. 24 (b) Pictorial Depth Perception

25. 25 ●Research suggests that people who have been exposed to Western educational systems interpret this figure differently than people who have not been exposed to Western educational systems. E.g., Hudson (1960): Found that Bantu tribes people who had not been educated in European schools perceived the hunter to be pursing the elephant.

26. 26 ●Explanation for this cultural difference: Western educational systems teach children to perceive 2- dimensional images as 3-dimensional spatial arrays.

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28. 28 ●Common depth cues in 2-dimensional images: 1. The relative size of objects. 2. Object superimposition. 4. A linear perspective. 5. A texture gradient. 3. Vertical position.

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33. 33 Munch: Evening on Karl Johan Street, 1892

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35. 35 Shama: Moghul Hunting Scene, Year Unknown

36. 36 Title Unknown

37. 37 ●Research (e.g., Leach, 1975) has shown that educational programs designed to increase sensitivity to depth cues among African children can increase the ability to perceive 3-dimensional spatial arrays from 2- dimensional images. ●The sensitivity to depth cues that results from exposure to Western educational systems is well illustrated by the following image:

38. 38 The Two-Pronged Trident

39. 39 ●People who have been exposed to Western educational systems have significantly more difficulty interpreting this figure than people who have had little formal education.

40. 40 ●Research (e.g., Masuda, Gonzales, et al., 2008) has demonstrated distinctions between Western and Eastern art in: position of horizon. size of focal object. (c) Tendency to Focus on “Object versus Field”

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42. 42 Shama: Moghul Hunting Scene, Year Unknown

43. Da Vinci: Mona Lisa, 1503-1519 43

44. Manohar: Portrait of Jahangir Holding a Falcon, 1600-1610 44

45. Comparisons of Museum Paintings (Masuda, Gonzales, et al., 2008) 45

46. 46 ●Similar distinctions have been observed in: drawings by laypersons in distinct cultures. photos taken by laypersons in distinct cultures.

47. Drawing by a European American Female (Masuda, Gonzales, et al., 2008) 47

48. Drawing by an East Asian Female (Masuda, Gonzales, et al., 2008) 48

49. Comparisons of Student Drawings (Masuda, Gonzales, et al., 2008) 49

50. American Photos (Masuda, Gonzales, et al., 2008) 50

51. East Asian Photos (Masuda, Gonzales, et al., 2008) 51

52. Photo Comparisons (Masuda, Gonzales, et al., 2008) 52

53. 53 ●These differences in art and photography appear to reflect cultural differences in the tendency to focus on “object versus field.”

54. 54 Morality, Perception and Cognition 1.Do cultures differ in their views on distributive justice? 2.Does culture influence visual perception?