ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the specific cognitive processes that define the African-descendant societies of the Caribbean. One of the fundamental principles for this presentation is the recent sociopsychological research of Nesbitt, which contrasts Western thought and Eastern thought and questions whether cognitive processes are actually universal for all cultural groups, as has been assumed in the history of psychological research. Hybridization is a crucial factor in sociocultural developments in the African Caribbean, it still remains that the basic dichotomy between cognitive perceptions was, and continues to be, significantly imbalanced. Throughout history, most of the interpretations about African aesthetic and cultural expressions in the Caribbean have been from a primarily Western European or American perspective. However, the African aesthetic and cognitive appreciation of expressions are far more interrelated and holistica mask is part of a costume, a costume is part of a dance, a dance is part of a community expression.
