ABSTRACT
ARE CULTURAL GROUPS generally dierent in the ways they see things and hear sounds just because of the dierent geographical conditions under which their ancestors lived? For instance, do people from a desert area have better color vision than those who live near the ocean? In this regard, we remember a question we received some time ago from a student, whose name was Albert. “Do psychologists acknowledge important dierences between Europeans and non-Europeans in America?” Albert then asserted that, for centuries, the ancestors of the former group relied mostly on visual perception. Europeans, he said, must see, measure, and then rationalize their impressions. ey do not feel or believe a priori; they must experience everything right before their own eyes. Referring to his own ancestors, he said Africans, on the other hand, are dierent because of environmental conditions in Africa that required them to rely mostly on hearing and touch. ey felt objects and vibrations through their skin, without visual verication by the eyes; they could express themselves through their voices. Albert then suggested that, due to such perceptual dierences between European and African ancestors, European Americans are more likely to succeed in engineering, science, and writing, whereas African Americans tend to excel at playing music, singing, and other nonvisual activities. “Do you have any evidence to support your idea?” his fellow student asked. “How can you verify this?” he continued. “I can’t. I simply feel this way!” responded Albert, laughing at his own answer.
