Question

Regarding cross-cultural differences in cognitive biases, which of the following statements is TRUE?

a) Cognitive biases are universal and do not vary across cultures
b) Cognitive biases are more prominent in individualistic cultures
c) Collectivistic cultures tend to exhibit more self-serving bias
d) The impact of cognitive biases is consistent across all cultures

Answer 1

Cognitive biases are not universal and vary across cultures, with research showing differences in how individuals from collectivistic and individualistic cultures process information and exhibit biases like the self-serving and confirmation biases.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement that cognitive biases are universal and do not vary across cultures is not true. Research has demonstrated that there are cross-cultural differences in the expression and impact of cognitive biases. For instance, Masuda and Nisbett (2001) found that Japanese and American participants differed in their attention to contextual information in visual stimuli, highlighting how cognitive biases can vary between collectivistic and individualistic cultures.

Cognitive biases like the self-serving bias, confirmation bias, and actor-observer bias interact with cultural norms and values, affecting how people from different cultures process information and make decisions. Therefore, the impact of cognitive biases is not consistent across all cultures.