CROSS-CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN METHODS OF COGNITIVE PROCESSING OF VERBAL AND VISUAL MATERIAL

The project is solving one of fundamental problems, i.e. identifying cross-cultural differences in information processing methods. The problem of the influence of culture on cognition is key to understanding the human nature and has repeatedly appeared in the center of discussion in Russian (Frumkina, 1999; Vygotsky, 1934; Luria, 1979) and international (Cole, Skribner, 1979; Matsumoto, 1999; Nisbett, Norenzayan, 2002 ) psychology: the global trend has favoured either universality, or the cultural specificity of cognitive processes. At the moment, new opportunities have appeared for studying the nature of the influence of cultural determinants on methods of cognitive activity in strictly controlled psychological studies using the virtual environment, equipment for recording eye movements and statistical programs for analyzing large volumes of data.
The planned studies will allow us to establish new facts about the cultural specifics of the substantive and operational aspects of human cognitive activity, test several recent hypotheses about the origins of cross-cultural differences in cognitive processes (Nisbett et al., 2011; Alexandrov, Kirdina, 2013) and identify significant patterns of the influence of culture on cognition.
In practical terms, the results will be useful for creating a program of psychological support for intercultural interaction, overcoming misunderstandings, incorrect emotional assessments, and diverging expectations in contacts with representatives of different cultures.