Culture and Perception Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos 27 May 2009.

Culture and Perception

Dr. K. A. Korb

University of Jos

27 May 2009

Sensory Memory

Cross-cultural differences in sensory functions can be the result of:

1. Direct physical environmental conditions Kalahari Bushmen report less hearing loss in older

individuals than in the US The desert has considerably less ambient noise than the US

2. Indirect physical environmental conditions Poor nutrition and diseases in South African mine-workers

are likely causes of difficulty seeing in poorly lit conditions

Dr. K. A. KorbUniversity of Jos

Sensory Memory

Cross-cultural differences in sensory functions can be the result of:

3. Genetic factors Europeans have a greater incidence of red-green color

blindness than non-Europeans

4. Cultural differences in interaction with the environment

Cultures differ in judgments of loudness

However, cross-cultural differences in sensory functioning are rare


Perception of Pictures

Ethiopians with little experience with pictorial representations were shown various pictures (Deregowski, Muldrow, & Muldrow, 1972) Most people identified the leopard, but only after time and effort Some would touch or smell the picture

Experience with pictures is necessary for accurate perception of clear pictures and photographs


Perceptions of Patterns

A

B


Perception of Patterns Repeated experience with perceptual cues affects

how stimuli are perceived Perception of stimuli is learned based on a person’s

experience with the environment and pictures Hypothesis 1: Carpentered World Hypothesis

An environment with many carpenters tends to be rectangular – furniture, houses, street patterns

People raised in a carpentered world interpret non-rectangular figures as rectangular figures in perspective

Evidence: People raised in industrial urban environments are more susceptible to Müller-Lyer visual illusion


Perception of Patterns

Hypothesis 2: Foreshortening Hypothesis Lines extending into space appear as vertical lines in

pictures People living in environments with wide vistas

perceive vertical lines as long distances Evidence: Non-western people are more prone to the

horizontal-vertical illusion Evidence: People living in areas with wide spaces

are more prone than people living in the rain forest


Perception of Depth in Pictures

South Africans were asked whether the elephant or the antelope was closer to the man (Hudson, 1967) Schooled participants gave 3D answers Unschooled participants almost always gave 2D answers Ability to interpret western-style materials increases as people

are acculturated to the west and schooled in western education


Perception of Orientation

Ghanaian and Scottish children were asked whether patterns that differed in orientation were the same (Jahoda, 1978) Ghanaian children made

more incorrect responses Even after training to

distinguish differing orientation, Ghanaian children still made many mistakes


Perception of Patterns

Children had to state the number of dots when quickly presented (Cole, Gay, & Glick, 1968) American children performed significantly better with the

organized array than the random array Liberian children had no differences in performance between the

organized and random arrays


Perception of Symmetry

Participants have to place the fourth shape to make a symmetrical object (Reuning & Wortley, 1973) Despite having no formal

experience with symmetrical patterns, the Kalahari Bushmen performed very well on the task


Perception of Simple Patterns

Currently, cross-cultural research only describes similarities and differences between cultures in perception of simple patterns No theory has been developed that can explain

cultural or environmental factors that influence perception of patterns

One major problem is that conventions of representing a 3D world in two dimensions are arbitrary


Perception of Pictures

Picture perception is a set of learned skills. Culture-specific conditions determines how picture

perceptual skills develop School children easily recognize photographs and

clear drawings Simple visual aids are effective in education in virtually all

cultures

Perception of pictures becomes difficult when: People have little experience with pictures The patterns become more complex


Revision

What cross-cultural similarities have been found in perception?

What cross-cultural differences have been found in perception?

What are some factors that are thought to influence these cross-cultural differences?


Culture and Perception Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos 27 May 2009.

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