Perceptual and Mnemonic Differences Across Cultures

Brandeis University, Waltham MA

Investigators

Abstract

Does cultural background impact how people perceive the visual world and what they remember? Many assume that psychological processes are universal and not affected by native country or culture. But recently there has been increased appreciation of the ways in which an individual?s background can impact perceptual or memory processes. Prior work on cultural differences has largely considered memory and visual perception as separate processes and most of the work on visual processes has been restricted to evaluating face perception. The current project examines whether cultures differ in the visual features they preferentially perceive: Do they tend to perceive global, overall shape or fine detail? Does culture affect how quickly each type of visual information is processed or whether it dominates conscious experience? Does any difference in perception affect later memory for scenes? These are issues of global importance and will contribute to the development of a globally-minded workforce by exposing students and trainees to cross-cultural research. The investigators will also engage in outreach activities at a diverse local high school. Participating in these outreach activities will also train members of the team in effective scientific outreach and communication. Four experiments will investigate cultural differences in 1) the relative dominance of high versus low spatial frequency information in vision, for stable percepts as well as those that compete dynamically for dominance, 2) brain markers of early attention processes versus markers of expectation or salience, using electroencephalography (EEG), 3) short-term memory, in comparison with perceptual judgments, and 4) measures of sensitivity (i.e., ability to accurately distinguish different types of information) versus response bias (i.e., a tendency to respond in a particular way). Extant models of visual perception and memory were predominantly developed based on the study of "WEIRD" subjects (Western, educated, and from industrialized, rich, and democratic countries). By systematically comparing across cultures, this research project will increase understanding of the interplay of culture, perception, and memory processes in our species. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.