Contact Information:
Culture and Cognition Lab
P123 Biological Sciences Bldg.
University of Alberta
Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
Lab Email: cultpsy@ualberta.ca |
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Lab Leader: Taka Masuda, PhD
Associate Professor
P355 Biological Sciences Bldg.
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E9, Canada
Phone: 780-492-7861
Fax: 780-492-1768
Email: tmasuda@ualberta.ca
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Upcoming News: |
We are pleased to welcome back Yuto Yasuda who will be joining us in the lab on Friday, September 15th!
Congratulations to Dr.Masuda, Hajin, Sumin and Shirley for successfully completing their data collection in Japan and returning from their trip!
Congratulations to Dr. Masuda for his recent publication!
Li, L., Masuda, T., & Lee, H. (2017). Low Relational Mobility Leads to Greater Motivation to Understand Enemies but Not Friends and Acquaintances. British Journal of Social Psychology.
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Interested in participating in a study?
The Child-Parent Project
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In collaboration with international scholars, we are currently conducting a variety of research projects:
Project 1: Culture and Child Development--The Child-Parent Project (the CC Lab Main Project) |
Developmental
psychologists have advocated theoretical frameworks of socialization
processes (Azuma, 1994; Greenfield & Bruner, 1969; Rogoff, 1993,
2003; Vigotsky, 1930/1978), and cultural psychologists are now starting
to demonstrate in what ways culturally divergent patterns of attention
are developed through socialization practices (Imada, Carlson, &
Itakura, 2013; Senzaki & Masuda, under review; Senzaki, Masuda,
Shimizu, Takada, & Okada, 2013; Masuda, Shimizu, Senzaki, &
Takada, 2013). For example, Senzaki et al. (2013) investigated the
development and transmission of culturally specific attentional
patterns, while focusing on parent–child socialization practices as the
source of cultural differences in visual attention in Canada and
Japan. The results indicated that when parents and children jointly
engaged in the same visual attention task, cultural differences
emerged; Children showed cross-cultural differences in their
attentional patterns, mirroring those of their parents (i.e.,
object-oriented in Canada and context-sensitive in Japan). This effect was especially strong in the case of children 8 years of age and older.
This is indirect evidence of “scaffolding processes” (Wood, Bruner,
& Ross, 1976). With their parents’ help, older children imitate the
ways of attention held by mature members of the society. We further
intend to investigate (1) when, and (2) how children internalize
culturally unique attentional patterns. To answer these questions, we
have assembled a research team in collaboration with three
developmental psychologists in both Japan (Dr. Itakura, Dr. Shimizu)
and in the US (Dr. Senzaki).
Collaborators |
Affiliations |
Senzaki Sawa, PhD |
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, USA |
Matt Russell, PhD |
University of Alberta, Canada |
Kristina Nand, MA |
University of Tokyo, Japan |
Yuki Shimizu, PhD |
Saitama University, Japan |
Shoji Itakura, PhD |
Kyoto University, Japan |
Akira Takada, PhD |
Kyoto University, Japan |
Yukiko Uchida, PhD |
Kyoto University, Japan |
Hiroyuki Okada, PhD |
Tamagawa University, Japan |
Sandra Wiebe, PhD |
University of Alberta, Canada |
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Project 2: Culture and Attention |
To
investigate cultural variations in visual
attention, we examined whether East Asians are more likely than
North Americans to attend to context. In a variety of experiments,
we have demonstrated that East Asians are more attentive than North
Americans to contextual and
relational information (Masuda & Nisbett, 2001; 2006; Nisbett
& Masuda, 2003). We are continuing to investigate the underlying
mechanisms of these cultural variations in perception. For
example,
we have conducted eye-tracking studies in collaboration with Dr.
Sawa Senzaki (University of Wisconsin, Green Bay), which support
these differential patterns of attention (e.g. Senzaki, Masuda, &
Ishii, 2013). These results suggest that
cultural variations in basic perceptual processes may be deeply
rooted.Currently, we are investigating these differences under
the frameworks of culture and neuroscience (e.g. Masuda, Russell, Chen,
Hioki, & Caplan, 2013).
Collaborators |
Affiliations |
Matt Russell, PhD |
University of Alberta, Canada |
Jeremy Caplan, PhD |
University of Alberta, Canada |
Yvonne Chen, PhD |
University of Alberta, Canada |
Keiko Ishii, PhD |
Kobe University, Japan |
Koichi Hioki, MA |
Kobe University, Japan |
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Project 3: Culture and Emotion |
Do
cultural differences in patterns of attention
influence the perception of emotional expression? When
interpreting the emotions of a target person, are East Asians influenced
by the apparent emotions
of individuals surrounding the target person, and if so,
is it to a greater degree than North Americans?
In a series of experiments, we measured the extent
to which the perception of a central figure's emotion could be
influenced by changes in the facial expressions of the background
figures. We used cartoon images and real morphing pictures
consisting of five children. Thus far, we have
found that the interpretations of
Japanese participants are more likely than their
American
counterparts to be influenced by contextual changes
(Masuda, Leu,
Ellsworth, Mesquita, Tanida & Veerdonk, 2008;
Masuda, Wang, Ishii, & Ito, 2012). We are extending this line of
research by examining types of context which also influence emotion judgment
in North Americans (Ito, Masuda, & Hioki, 2012; Ito & Masuda,
2013). In addition, in collaboration with scholars at business schools,
we investigate whether this cultural variation in emotion judgment is
also observable in business settings (Masuda, Argo, Hioki, Ito, &
Senzaki, in preparation).
Another
line of study attempts to answer the following question: If the
intensity of facial expression differs across cultures, do these
variations influence how people infer emotions from facial expressions?
So far, we have found that people in cultures where expression
management is the norm evaluate the information appearing around the
eyes, because emotional expression in that area is more difficult to
control. In contrast, in cultures where overt emotional expression is
the norm, people tend to evaluate the mouth area, which creates the
most dynamic changes in facial expression (Yuki, Maddux, and Masuda,
2007; Masuda, Wang, Ito, Senzaki, Ishii, & Yuki, in preparation).
Collaborators |
Affiliations |
Jennifer Argo, PhD |
University of Alberta, Canada |
Ken-Ichi Ito, PhD |
Nanyang Technological University , Singapore |
Koichi Hioki, MA |
Kobe University, Japan |
Keiko Ishii, PhD |
Kobe University, Japan |
Senzaki Sawa, PhD |
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, USA |
Masaki Yuki, PhD |
Hokkaido University, Japan |
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Project 4: Culture and Aesthetics |
This
project investigates cultural variations in aesthetics between North
Americans and East Asians. The findings suggest that people’s aesthetic
preferences in artwork and web design can be influenced by the dominant
patterns of visual attention developed in their respective cultural
worldviews (Masuda, Gonzalez, Kwan, & Nisbett, 2008; Wang, Masuda,
Ito, & Rashid, 2012). Recently, we have extended this line of
research by focusing on socialization processes involved in aesthetic
preferences. We are currently investigating the point at which culturally dominant aesthetic preferences emerge
during the developmental course (Senzaki & Masuda, under review).
Thus far, we have collected data from 180 Japanese elementary school
children. The data indicate that the concept of horizon is understood
at around age 8 or 9 (Grade 3), and that children from Grades 4 through
6 locate the horizon progressively higher.
Collaborators |
Affiliations |
Kristina Nand, MA |
University of Tokyo, Japan |
Senzaki Sawa, PhD |
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, USA |
Satoshi Akutsu, PhD |
Hitotsubashi University, Japan |
Huaitang Wang, PhD |
Alberta Government, Canada |
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Project 5: Culture and Relationships |
This project examines how cultures influence one’s experience in different social relationships. We have used a variety of different perspectives in our studies in
order to have a comprehensive understanding. First, in collaboration
with Dr. Kenichi Ito, we examined whether perceived norms of help
seeking in one’s society affect expectations of closeness in
friendships in East Asians and North Americans (Ito, Masuda, Komiya,
& Hioki, under review). We found that the perception of relational
costs was primarily important to East Asians when considering help
seeking. In addition, the perceived norm of seeking help was positively
associated with expectation of closeness in friendships. We are
extending our research on friendship experience to enemyship experience
from a socio-ecological perspective, and we are currently conducting
research to examine the potential influence of relational mobility on
enemyship strategies among East Asians and North Americans (Li &
Masuda, in preparation).
Collaborators |
Affiliations |
Liman Man Wai Li, PhD |
Sun Yat-Suen University, China |
Ken-Ichi Ito, PhD |
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore |
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Project 6: Culture and Judgment |
This
project extends our research on culture and perception to applied
research. We obtained evidence that East Asians were more
context-sensitive relative to North Americans
when making attribution to others’ behaviors (Masuda & Kitayama,
2004). Recently, we have focused on how cultural variation in
perception and attention may affect the judgment and decision-making
processes. First, we found that East Asians and North Americans used
different strategies for information-searching processes in decision
making; East Asians searched both important and unimportant information
(Li, Masuda, & Russell, in preparation). Secondly, East Asians were
more likely to allocate resources for all possible alternatives,
whereas North Americans primarily allocated resources to the most
possible alternative (Li & Masuda, in preparation). Finally, we
found correlational and experimental evidence that showed a cultural
meaning system, dialecticism, affected indecisiveness among East Asians
and North Americans (Li, Masuda, & Russell, in preparation).
Collaborators |
Affiliations |
Liman Man Wai Li, PhD |
Sun Yat-Suen University, China |
Takashi Hamamura, PhD |
Chinese University of Hong Kong, China |
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Project 7: Culture and Language |
Linguists
and Psycholinguists have long debated the relationship between language
and thought. Some researchers maintain that humans are innately endowed
with producing language, whereas other researchers maintain that our
thoughts are influenced by syntactic and pragmatic aspects of the
language. By using a cross-cultural method, this project examines how
language influences our perception of similarity among objects (Masuda,
Miwa, Ishii, Rashid, under review).
Collaborators |
Affiliations |
Koji Miwa, PhD |
University of Alberta, Canada |
Keiko Ishii, PhD |
Kobe University, Japan |
Huaitang Wang, PhD |
Alberta Government, Canada |
Mutsumi Imai, PhD |
Keio University, Japan |
Marghalara Rashid, PhD |
University of Alberta, Canada |
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Project 8: Culture and Sleeping Arrangement |
The
majority of North American households have a separeate room and crib
for their babies, whereas the majority of East Asian households
excercise co-sleeping. This project investigate the relationship between
sleeping arrangements and culturally domimant beliefs about child
rearing (Song, Masuda, Noels, Sieusahai, & Zhou, in preparation).
Collaborators |
Affiliations |
Kim Noels, PhD |
University of Alberta, Canada |
Jianhui Song, PhD |
University of Alberta, Canada |
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(Culture & Cognition Lab Web Committee, September 13, 2013) |
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