Why do people from different cultures think differently? Explaining cultural variation in psychological traits

Until recently, psychologists assumed that people from different societies all think in the same way as we do in the West - that there is a universal human psychology shared by everyone on the planet. However, when psychologists started testing non-Western people, rather than the American and British undergraduates who typically do psychology experiments, they found intriguing cultural differences. For example, there are differences in perception: Westerners focus on single objects, whereas non-Westerners focus on the relationships between objects. If you show a British and a Japanese person a scene containing lots of objects, the British person is subsequently better at recognising the objects if they are presented on their own, whereas the Japanese person has better memory if the object is presented in the original scene. Or differences in explaining other people's behaviour: Westerners explain behaviour of others in terms of fixed personality traits, whereas non-Westerners explain actions in terms of social contexts. A British teacher might explain a student's poor exam performance in terms of their laziness or lack of intelligence, whereas a Korean teacher might appeal instead to the overbearing pressure to succeed academically.

But why do people from different cultures think differently? This is the central question addressed by this project. Several explanations are possible: it could be that psychological variation is caused by genetic differences between populations, and cognitive style is inherited genetically from parents. Alternatively, parents could have a non-genetic influence, through direct teaching or passive observation. Or psychological traits could be transmitted non-parentally, via peers, formal schooling, or the mass media.

We will take advantage of a unique natural experiment to tease apart these factors: immigration. If the UK-born children of non-Western immigrants resemble their parents in their psychological traits, we can infer that those traits are transmitted from parents either genetically or culturally. If, on the other hand, they resemble local non-immigrants, then non-parental influence must be at work. We will then see whether this shift is associated with specific factors, such as years of schooling, exposure to mass media, or bilingualism.

Another way of explaining psychological variation is in terms of history. For example, it has been suggested that Western individualism arose in ancient Greece as a response to solitary herding, whereas Eastern collectivism arose in ancient China as a response to collective rice farming. We will test this by simulating these conditions in the lab, as an experimental "microcosm" of cultural history, to see whether solitary action stimulates individualism and collective action stimulates collectivism.

Finally, we will develop a web app that will let us test these ideas in multiple countries, beyond the UK, and specifically targeting immigrant groups. If these relationships hold across several regions, we can be more confident that they are valid. On the other hand, differences between regions might also be valuable. If immigrants acculturate faster in London than elsewhere, as suggested by pilot data, we can identify why this is, such as differences in mass media influence, bilingualism or family size.

This project has major potential benefits for the successful integration of immigrants to the UK. Psychological differences can constitute a barrier to successful social and economic integration. For example, non-Western students can find it difficult to cope in Western educational systems that favour autonomy and creative thinking. Knowing the origin of these differences can help to overcome them better, for example by targeting parents (if parents have an influence) or the media (if the media plays a role).

The major beneficiaries of this research will be immigrants, particularly in and around East London, and the institutions that rely on the successful integration of immigrants (e.g. schools, local government, businesses). The project will improve social and economic integration of diverse immigrant communities by identifying the various factors that enhance or hinder psychological integration into UK society.

The successful social and economic integration of immigrants is a major and ongoing challenge for the United Kingdom. Every year since 2004 around 600,000 people have moved to the UK, and approx. 80% of these are non-British citizens (Office for National Statistics: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/). London receives a disproportionately high proportion of immigrants: non-White people make up 12.5% of the population of England, 30.3% of the population of London, and 42.9% of the London borough of Tower Hamlets where this study will be based (ibid). Immigrants contribute significantly to the UK economy: the last (2007) Home Office report estimates that migrants contributed around 15-20% of economic growth between 2001-2006, and £6 billion in 2006 alone.

Yet integration is far from optimal: immigrant communities tend to be poorer and suffer higher crime rates than other areas. Immigration comes with huge potential security risks if integration is unsuccessful, either through criminal or terrorist acts committed by alienated members of immigrant communities (e.g. the 7/7 bombings) or by extreme right groups/individuals who perceive a lack of integration due to immigration (e.g. the 2011 attacks in Oslo, Norway). Immigration also places strains on the educational system as teachers must deal with pupils' increasing cultural and linguistic diversity.

The psychological variation that is the topic of this proposal plays a crucial role in this integration. A non-Western immigrant who has grown up in a collectivist society with large and informal social support networks may find it difficult to adapt to a more individualist UK society. A non-Western immigrant who has previously relied on trust in economic exchanges may be exploited in equivalent interactions in the UK. A child who is used to formal rote learning in the classroom may fail to cope with the autonomy encouraged in UK schools.

In seeking to identify the proximate and ultimate factors responsible for maintaining and generating these psychological differences, this project can inform efforts in the public and third sector to foster the successful integration of immigrants in London and across the UK.

For example, if immigrant parents are found to transmit psychological traits to their UK-born children, then efforts should be targeted at parents to provide them with skills to better acculturate their children. If parents have little influence (as indeed suggested by pilot data) then targeting parents is a waste of money and resources. If the mass media has an influence then messages should be targeted to immigrant and non-immigrant media. If education is important then the focus should be on schools. Each of these is a potential route of transmission, but which actually matters when it comes to successful integration is currently unknown, and will be addressed here.

We will disseminate our findings to schools, local immigrant associations and charities to help them improve integration directly. This issue is also of wide public interest and importance given the potential social disruption caused by the perceived lack of integration of immigrants into wider society. To counter any misconceptions, we will disseminate our findings to the general public via media press releases, a website and a public event.