Tatyana Schoenberg

Differences and Similarities in Perception of Landscape Photographs: Between American-english, Spanish-catalan and Russian Speakers Tatyana Schoenberg

Perception is a process of knowing, a process of learning, and it produces knowledge by itself. Finding differences and similarities in perception between different cultures will contribute to cultures by sharing information and knowledge. The specific research questions are (1) What differences and similarities can be found in landscape photo perception between different group of people from American, Spanish-Catalan and Russian cultures? (2) How do people from three different cultures, using their native languages, conceptualize and communicate about the landscape? Some main findings are: 1. American students tended to perceive and name objects, as their first responses. 2. Russian students tended to perceive and name natural features,as their first responses. 3. American and Russian students named the same type of trees differently. 4. Students from Barcelona were more general in their responses. 5. There was a strong influence of cultural factors on perception among the Russian students. 6. American students tended to mention recreational activities that could be done at the places shown.