Comments

I said, "there are three big fish in the foreground swimming to the left, and two small fish farther back that are swimming to the right."

That is strange.

-- CarolynJohnston - 27 Jul 2005

In another experiment described in the book, Nisbett and colleagues found that Americans respond to contradiction by polarizing their beliefs whereas Chinese respond by moderating their beliefs.

Fascinating, Catherine. Thanks.

-- KtmGuest - 27 Jul 2005

there are three big fish in the foreground swimming to the left, and two small fish farther back that are swimming to the right.

I'm guessing I would have said something along those lines, though almost certainly less precise.

(Can we tell everyone about the fact that you can ace the Stroop test?????)

I would have said something like 'fish' or '3 fish & 2 little fish' OR I might have said '3 big fish & 2 little fish & 1 very small frog.'

Basically I would have done a TRAILBLAZERS counting job.

One more strike against TRAILBLAZERS.

-- CatherineJohnson - 27 Jul 2005

In another experiment described in the book, Nisbett and colleagues found that Americans respond to contradiction by polarizing their beliefs whereas Chinese respond by moderating their beliefs.

That caught my eye, too.

I'd been operating on the assumption that different points of view tend to 'moderate' each other......and I may be drastically wrong.

OTOH, the one element of non-Western thinking I've managed to pick up over the years is that contradictory positions are often both true in their way....so I'd probably go for the idea that polarizing and moderating both occur. (I'd say they do around here, in my house, I mean. We'll polarize in the midst of an argument, but then later on I'll hear Ed taking positions I've taken, and I'll find myself taking positions that are certainly closer to his than they were in the midst of an argument.)

-- CatherineJohnson - 27 Jul 2005

Though come to think of it, I wonder how the poll samples broke down, male and female, in both the East and West. It strikes me that some of these differences, seeing the relational, rather than the polarities, is also a way that we characterize the difference between feminine and masculine thought.

I've always been a synthesist type myself.

But it is fascinating, none the less, that on the visual level, our brains simply process the information differently.

-- KtmGuest - 27 Jul 2005

I liked the line about being reasonable instead of rational.

That's actually a pet peeve of mine, excessive rationalism.

I call it 'logic-mongering.'

-- CatherineJohnson - 27 Jul 2005

It strikes me that some of these differences, seeing the relational, rather than the polarities, is also a way that we characterize the difference between feminine and masculine thought.

I've always been a synthesist type myself.

But it is fascinating, none the less, that on the visual level, our brains simply process the information differently.

Welll, who knows with all this stuff.....but I sure believe there could be cultural differences large enough that they just become 'the stuff of us'.....and I know for a fact, after working with Temple & doing all the research on perception, that there are huge numbers of things we simply don't see.

-- CatherineJohnson - 27 Jul 2005

I would have said big fish with buddies going left with teensy frog hopping the other way, perhaps to escape.

The frog stands out to me.

I have no idea what that might mean.

Great batch of articles, Catherine. Very insightful.

-- SusanS - 28 Jul 2005

and I know for a fact, after working with Temple & doing all the research on perception, that there are huge numbers of things we simply don't see.

Doesn't Temple Grandin argue, for one, that animals see things more relationally.

-- and autistic people too.

-- KtmGuest - 28 Jul 2005

I think....Temple would say no.

We didn't quite think of it this way, but certainly the way I saw it was that autistic people specifically fail to see relationships.

Autistic people tend to see pieces or fragments, without context.

Actually--that goes along with Nisbett, because autistic people are incredibly logical. Temple's grasp of logic is just astounding; she's like the little boy in The Emporer's New Clothes.

-- CatherineJohnson - 28 Jul 2005