I suppose that there are principles of psychology which are universal.
Say, certain principles discovered by Gestalt psychologists lead us to see
unity where there are only potential pieces of a thing visible.
Or, alternatively put, on the basis of less than perfect and complete information,
we can attempt to draw a picture, or formulate a theory about something not observed.

This applies very much to what I've heard from Czechs and Slovaks over the years.
"Oh, in America it must be different...."
Or, "In the United States, it couldn't be like that....."
"Not in America....."

And I hear these protests precisely in cases where I happen to know that in the USA or the USA's part of North America, it precisely is like that.....

Now, I shouldn't take this personally, but in a way I do.
I do read the English-language press, including independent sources.  And I do even occasionally manage to read a book that's relevant.

So, I am actually in a position to know that the USA precisely is what I am being told it could not possibly be.....

There are days when this leads me to say:  most of what Czechs and Slovaks believe about the USA, my home country, is pure fantasy.

That's not quite right.  Some part of what they believe is a sort of projection of how things should be.  Sometimes, one assumes that things over there are like things here--unless one has been, somehow, informed otherwise. But I don't see that there is, what there could be, a sincere effort to arrive at an accurate picture of the place.  

Which shouldn't matter, except the place still has more nuclear weapons than anyone else.