Full Idea
Tests suggest that American subjects were significantly more likely than Chinese subjects to have intuitions in line with causal-historical theories of reference.
Gist of Idea
Americans are more inclined to refer causally than the Chinese are
Source
Edouard Machery (Doing Without Concepts [2009], 8.1.3)
Book Reference
Machery,Edouard: 'Doing Without Concepts' [OUP 2009], p.227
A Reaction
This is an example of 'experimental philosophy' in action (of which Machery is a champion). The underlying idea is that Americans are generally more disposed to think causally than the Chinese are. So more scientific? What do the Hopi do?
Related Idea
Idea 3916 Hopi consistently prefers verbs and events to nouns and things [Whorf]