A cultural analysis of perceptual processes

Abstract

From the perspective of historical-cultural psychology, we present a historical revision of transcultural psychology studies in the field of perception. From this theoretical standpoint we describe the mechanisms of cultural and historical mediation used in the explanation of the findings of transcultural psychology. We discuss the need to view perception as a constructive process which is a result of the interaction between the subject and his/her physical and cultural context. Perception thus involves the acquisition of ecologically valid habits of inference, which vary according to the experiences of individuals. For this reason, it is important to study the differences in perception processes and to analyse their causes, via the investigation of everyday practices in which individuals participate and develop.