Four studies were conducted to investigate cultural differences in predicting and understanding regression toward
the mean.We demonstrated, with tasks in such domains as athletic competition, health and weather, that Chinese
are more likely than Canadians to make predictions that are consistent with regression toward the mean. In
addition, Chinese are more likely than Canadians to choose a regression-consistent explanation to account for
regression toward the mean. The findings are consistent with cultural differences in lay theories about how
people, objects and events develop over time.