Understanding where someone else is looking and what they are paying attention to is a fundamental skill for communication and cooperation. However, most claims about 'universals' in social cognition have been based on data from Western, affluent, urban samples. A new study led by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and Leuphana University Lüneburg now broadens this perspective by testing over 1,300 children from 17 communities spanning 14 countries and five continents using a culturally adaptable, tablet-based task.