title: Cultural differences in perceptual reorganization in US and Pirahã adults.
abstract: Visual illusions and other perceptual phenomena can be used as tools to uncover the otherwise hidden constructive processes that give rise to perception. Although many perceptual processes are assumed to be universal, variable susceptibility to certain illusions and perceptual effects across populations suggests a role for factors that vary culturally. One striking phenomenon is seen with two-tone images-photos reduced to two tones: black and white. Deficient recognition is observed in young children under conditions that trigger automatic recognition in adults. Here we show a similar lack of cue-triggered perceptual reorganization in the Pirahã, a hunter-gatherer tribe with limited exposure to modern visual media, suggesting such recognition is experience- and culture-specific.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, United States of America.
authors.forename: Jennifer M D
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States of America.
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Witthoft
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, United States of America.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Winawer
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States of America.
authors.forename: Michael C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Bentley University, Waltham, MA, United States of America.
authors.forename: Daniel L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Everett
authors.affiliation: Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, Cambridge, MA, United States of America.
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gibson
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D006801:Humans; D007088:Illusions / Q000502:physiology*; D014481:United States / Q000208:ethnology; D014796:Visual Perception