2nd blog for social psy: cultural differences in perception & the correspondence bias

Differences in perception between Westerners and Asians occur at remarkably basic levels. Westerners have been conditioned to view themselves as independent individuals while Asians generally focus on interrelationships. For example, Westerners zoom in on central objects in their environment while Asians also take into consideration the circumstance of the object. Brain scanning, where greater areas of the brain linked to attention light up when performing a difficult task, also supports previous research. Americans expended more neural energy when comparing a line’s length relative to a square but found it easier to estimate it by looking at it alone while Asians found it easier to approximate length by comparing it to a square than when the line was presented alone.

These perceptual differences may be a result of cultural differences in accessible schemas (ease with which certain mental representations of objects or categories of events rise to consciousness). Western cultures stress individuality, freedom and independence (individualism) while Eastern cultures emphasize harmony, obedience and interdependence (collectivism). Hence, differing information would be encoded in memory, leading to varying types of chronically accessible schemas where Westerners are more likely to categorize people in terms of personal achievements and Easterners, categorize people based on group memberships.

It has been found that cultural differences (including these differences in perception and chronically accessible schemas) produce a continuum of the correspondence bias. Correspondence bias refers to the propensity to assume that other’s behaviours reflect their personality, attitudes and other internal factors and not situational factors. There is often overreliance on internal factors and underestimation of external factors when giving causal explanations. Correspondence bias has been found by various researchers to be significantly stronger in individualistic cultures as compared to collectivistic cultures. Differences in accessible schemas suggest that people from different cultures may recognise and comprehend the same event or person rather differently.

Cultural differences in perception and correspondence bias can be observed in many instances, Farmer and Kleinman* contrasted the predicaments of AIDS patients in 2 countries. An individualistic culture that recognises personal rights and uniqueness prevails in USA, leading people to think that AIDS sufferers are responsible for their plight. Victims are perceived as innocent (like infants) or guilty (like homosexuals). However, Haitian culture places greater emphasis on social relationships and less on personal onus. Additionally, AIDS sufferers in USA experience a greater degree of social death due to discrimination and fear from others while community members may even look after afflicted Haitians. As can be seen, AIDS sufferers in USA are more prone to be prejudiced against while those in Haiti are usually forgiven.

Though living in Asia, I often tend towards being individualistic. I feel that I should learn to acknowledge other viewpoints by taking into account external influences. As in the case of AIDS sufferers, emphasis on personal variables and responsibility reduces our sensitivity to the needs of patients.

read "Asians and Westerners really see things differently" here

*Farmer, P., & Kleinman, A. (1989). AIDS as human suffering. Daedalus, 118, 135 - 162. (Reprinted in Stephen Graubard, Ed: Living With AIDS, Cambridge: MIT Press, 1990; Reprinted In A. Podolefsky and P. Brown, Eds: Applying Cultural Anthropology. Second Edition, Mayfield Press and also in their Applying Anthropology. Third Edition.)