So here’s a study:

Keysar and his colleagues arranged two blocks on a table so participants could see both. However, a piece of cardboard obstructed the view of one block so a “director,” sitting across from the participant, could only see one block.

When the director asked 20 American participants (none of Asian descent) to move a block, most were confused as to which block to move and did not take into account the director’s perspective. Even though they could have deduced that, from the director’s seat, only one block was on the table.

Most of the 20 Chinese participants, however, were not confused by the hidden block and knew exactly which block the director was referring to. While following directions was relatively simple for the Chinese, it took Americans twice as long to move a block.

So what did this purport to show? According to the article, “Rugged American individualism could hinder our ability to understand other peoples’ point of view.” Moreover, “collectivist societies, such as the Chinese, place more value on the needs of the group and less on the autonomy of the individual. In these societies, understanding other peoples’ experiences is a more critical social skill than it is among typically more individualist Americans.”

I’m a little suspicious myself. An Alternative explanation could be that in collectivist, or rather, totalitarian societies following orders correctly the first time carries significant benefits … like avoiding the gulag. Perhaps such a culture has developed to become adept at following confusing and absurd directions without asking questions.