AsianScientist (Apr. 11, 2014) – Can behavior be explained by cultural or genetic factors? To address this question, scientists tested the differences in rapid eye movements known as saccades in Chinese and Caucasian populations.
Researchers recruited 70 students from mainland China, 45 British people with Chinese parents and 70 white British people for the study. All of the participants completed questionnaires which evaluated their cultural values. Culturally, the British Chinese participants were similar to their white British counterparts and different to the mainland Chinese students.
The participants then wore headsets and looked at a plain white board on which lights appeared. The headset measured the time it took for participants’ eyes to react to the lights as they appeared in different places on the board.
27 percent of Chinese participants responded with high proportions of express saccades, similar to 22 percent of the British Chinese; but many more than the ten percent of white British participants.
The study, published in the journal PLOS One, concluded that Chinese ethnicity, rather than culture, influenced eye movement patterns. This is contrary to several previous reports from other research groups which looked at behavior in Asian and white participants and concluded that culture explained behavioral differences between groups.
“Many scientists believe that the eye movement patterns you develop are due to where you live – the books you read and the influence of your family, peers and community – your culture.”
“Our research has shown that this cannot be the case, at least for saccade behavior. What this leaves is the way we’re made, perhaps our genetics. And this may have a bearing on the way the brains in different groups react to injuries and disease,” said Dr. Paul Knox from the University of Liverpool’s Institute of Aging and Chronic Disease.
This study also highlights the need to consider the impact of genetic variation in human populations.
“From a situation where 80 percent of our understanding of neuroscience was derived from tests on US psychology undergraduates, we’re now showing how the human brain is not just amazingly complex in general, but also highly variable across the human population,” he said.
The article can be found at: Knox and Wolohan. (2014) Cultural Diversity and Saccade Similarities: Culture Does Not Explain Saccade Latency Differences between Chinese and Caucasian Participants.
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Source: University of Liverpool; Photo: Steven Depolo/Flickr/CC.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.
