1. Identify similarities and differences in self-construals between Czech and Taiwanese (and other nationalities - Germans, continental Chinese, Thai)
2. Identify the nature of the link between self-construal and cognitive style at individual-level
3. Identify the relation of other variables to cultural differences (above all the writing system) in perception and cognition. Choose the variables with the highest explanatory potential
4. Determine the nature of cognitive style and it's between- and within-culture variability in Czech and Taiwanese (and German, Chinese, Thai) using computer-administered “baseline” methods of cognitive style diagnostics
5. Investigate the eye-movement manifestations of holistic and analytic cognitive style in perception and cognition of complex visual stimuli (e.g. during complex urban scene perception, natural scene perception) among others by using immersive Virtual Environments
6. Investigate the differences in the way participants with various cognitive styles solve cartographic tasks. We will investigate whether the cultural differences in cognitive processes are also manifested during the work with cartographic stimuli, and on what levels of cognitive processes and of actual operations of map work
7. Create a complex model of relationships between culture and cognition.

Methods

Since the research goals are rather varied, various methods will be used to gain the widest overview and deepest insight into the cross-cultural differences (or similiarities). To raise the studies' validity, combination of questionnaires, eye-tracking, immersive virtual reality research environment are the expected methosd to be used.