The Cultural Psychology of Large Language Models: Is ChatGPT a Holistic
  or Analytic Thinker?
Chuanyang Jin Songyang Zhang Tianmin Shu Zhihan Cui
The prevalent use of Large Language Models (LLMs) has necessitated studying
their mental models, yielding noteworthy theoretical and practical
implications. Current research has demonstrated that state-of-the-art LLMs,
such as ChatGPT, exhibit certain theory of mind capabilities and possess
relatively stable Big Five and/or MBTI personality traits. In addition,
cognitive process features form an essential component of these mental models.
Research in cultural psychology indicated significant differences in the
cognitive processes of Eastern and Western people when processing information
and making judgments. While Westerners predominantly exhibit analytical
thinking that isolates things from their environment to analyze their nature
independently, Easterners often showcase holistic thinking, emphasizing
relationships and adopting a global viewpoint. In our research, we probed the
cultural cognitive traits of ChatGPT. We employed two scales that directly
measure the cognitive process: the Analysis-Holism Scale (AHS) and the Triadic
Categorization Task (TCT). Additionally, we used two scales that investigate
the value differences shaped by cultural thinking: the Dialectical Self Scale
(DSS) and the Self-construal Scale (SCS). In cognitive process tests (AHS/TCT),
ChatGPT consistently tends towards Eastern holistic thinking, but regarding
value judgments (DSS/SCS), ChatGPT does not significantly lean towards the East
or the West. We suggest that the result could be attributed to both the
training paradigm and the training data in LLM development. We discuss the
potential value of this finding for AI research and directions for future
research.