Final answer:
Compared to Asians, Americans are more likely to prioritize individualistic values over collectivistic ones. Cultural values and norms shape thinking processes, leading to variations in cognitive patterns across different societies.
Step-by-step explanation:
Cross cultural research on thinking has shown that compared to Asians, Americans are more likely to prioritize individualistic values over collectivistic ones. Individualistic cultures such as that of the United States emphasize independence, competition, and personal achievement, whereas collectivistic cultures, prevalent in East Asian, Latin American, and African countries, prioritize group cohesion and harmony. An example of this difference in thinking can be seen in studies where participants from different cultures were shown visual stimuli. Japanese participants were more likely to recognize objects when they occurred in the same context in which they were originally viewed, while American participants were not significantly influenced by contextual manipulation. Overall, these findings suggest that cultural values and norms shape thinking processes, leading to variations in cognitive patterns across different societies.