In the context of the elements of culture, illustrate the differences in "Asian and Western" thought as discussed by Richard Nisbett.
Richard Nisbett, in his book "The Geography of Thought" broadly discusses differences in "Asian and Western" thinking. He starts with Confucius and Aristotle and develops his arguments through consideration of historical and philosophical writings and findings from more recent behavioral science research, including his own social-psychological experiments.
Although he acknowledges the dangers surrounding generalizations about Japanese, Chinese, and Korean cultures, on the one hand, and European and American cultures, on the other, many of his conclusions are consistent with our own work related to international negotiations, cultural values, and linguistic distance.
A good metaphor for his views involves going back to Confucius's worthy picture. Asians tend to see the whole picture and can report details about the background and foreground. Westerners alternatively focus on the foreground and can provide great detail about central figures but see relatively little in the background. This difference in perception—focus versus big picture—is associated with a wide variety of differences in values, preferences, and expectations about future events.
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