CULTURED MINDS

ANALYTIC/HOLISTIC PERCEPTION

 

These dimensions refer to a difference between narrow, focused and abstract (analytic) perception versus the more broad, context and relation-dependent (holistic) way of looking at the world. Analytic perception is often called ‘Tunnel Vision’ and associated with more ‘Western’ cultures while Holistic perception is a ‘Wide-Angle lens’ more associated with those in the East. Such observations prompted Kashima and Kidd to write in the Oxford Handbook of Language and Social Psychology that “context appears to be more cognitively accessible for East Asians than for Westerners”.

 

The different viewpoints affect what kind of information people perceive as relevant and how they evaluate it. It also has consequences for how people approach contradictory situations & the ways they choose to categorise objects. Such processes are very relevant for understanding how advertising is processed and ways in which brands and brand extensions are evaluated, among other consumer behaviours.  (Nisbett & Miyamoto, 2005;  Nisbett, Peng, Choi & Norenzayan, 2001; Masuda & Nisbett, 2001; Ji, Zhang & Nisbett, 2004)

 

Example: Categorising Objects

 

(Norenzayan, Smith, Kim & Nisbett, 2002) demonstrate interesting differences between holistic and analytic thinking style for both logical reasoning and ways people categorise and sort objects. The target object and Group 1 share a relational/natural category; all their features are similar but no one category defines them. Meanwhile the Target Object shares a rule-based/ group with Group 2; the flowers are seen to belong together based on a unidimensional sorting rule (straight stems). When using a holistic thinking style an individual will be more likely to group objects into natural categories. When using an analytic thinking style they will prefer rule-based categorisation methods.