Conventional psychological research has focused primarily on intrapersonal dimensions of human activity, often evading shared knowledge, interpersonal perspective-taking, and collective beliefs. The ideology of individualism and the 'embryonic fallacy' are largely responsible for the focus on the individual as an isolated entity. Most available methods for assessment are transacted through the temporary separation of a "subject" from a familiar cultural setting. In the case of children, this instantly distances them from known surroundings. When researchers adopt methods created and standardized in a different cultural context, there is a double alienation; first of the social setting, and the second, more profound (but less evident) distancing is ideological, between the shared reality of the community to which the child belongs and the culture of origin of the method. This paper provides evidence from research on Indian children to discuss the importance of adaptation to the context and shared understanding. By identifying three distinct levels of activity, the subjective, inter-subjective, and inter-objective, we bring forward some of the processes that often remain hidden in the study of the individual. These levels are then employed to discuss specific research encounters.