Do semantically consistent scenes sharpen perceived object representations across different cultures?

Perceptual representations of objects are modulated by the semantic consistency between the object and its context, such as the background scene in which it is embedded. The study proposed here questions the universality of this semantic consistency effect. Our aim is to examine whether the effect depends on observers’ tendency to incorporate or ignore the context when making a perceptual decision. To do this, we will contrast semantic consistency effects (SCEs) between participants from two cultures that are conventionally known to be distinct in their tendencies to incorporate context in perception and cognition: (British) Caucasians and (Malaysian) Asians. Here, SCEs will be measured by comparing the perceived sharpness of objects embedded in semantically consistent and inconsistent scenes. We will also assess whether the influence of culture on SCEs is mediated by individual differences in cognitive styles (holistic vs analytical thinking) and/or self-construals, as these constructs are generally believed to be deterministic of an individual’s tendency to ignore or incorporate context during perception.