Culture and Perception

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: • 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 • 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. Korb University of Jos

Sensory Memory • Cross-cultural differences in sensory functions can be the result of: • Genetic factors • Europeans have a greater incidence of red-green color blindness than non-Europeans • Cultural differences in interaction with the environment • Cultures differ in judgments of loudness • However, cross-cultural differences in sensory functioning are rare Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

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 Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

Perceptions of Patterns A B Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

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 Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

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 Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

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 Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

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 Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

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 Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

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 Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

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 Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

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 Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

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? Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos

Culture and Perception