Date of Award

Spring 5-8-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Andrew Engell

Abstract

The goal of this study was to examine whether cultural differences (i.e., collectivistic vs. individualistic) play a role in holistic face processing. Previous studies have reported individual variations in holistic face processing (Canas-Bajo & Whitney, 2020). Culture changes individuals' visual perceptions, and people from collectivistic cultures perceive visual stimuli holistically, whereas people from individualistic cultures perceive visual stimuli in a detailed way (Nisbett & Miyamoto, 2005). Therefore, due to the variation in visual processing that is shaped by culture, examining how cultural differences affect face perception can enhance understanding of this face-selective mechanism. Because people from different cultures perceive visual stimuli differently, I hypothesized that individuals born and raised in collectivistic cultures will be more efficient, viewing a face more holistically than those from individualistic cultures. However, results indicated there were no significant differences between the two cultures. The findings suggest that holistic face processing is not modulated by cultural differences.

Rights Statement

All rights reserved. This copy is provided to the Kenyon Community solely for individual academic use. For any other use, please contact the copyright holder for permission.

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