Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology current issue

Acquiring an Artificial Logographic Orthography: The Beneficial Effects of a Logographic L1 Background and Bilinguality

Ehrich, J. F., Meuter, R. F. I. — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:24:37 PDT

To date, studies have focused on the acquisition of alphabetic second languages in alphabetic first language (L1) users, demonstrating significant transfer effects. The present study examines the process from a reverse perspective, comparing logographic (Mandarin-Chinese) and alphabetic (English) L1 users in the acquisition of an artificial logographic script to determine whether similar language-specific advantageous transfer effects occurred. Chinese-English bilinguals, English-French bilinguals, and English monolinguals learned a small set of symbols (six nouns and six verbs) in an artificial logographic script. A lexical decision task on the artificial symbols revealed markedly faster response times in the Chinese-English bilinguals, indicating a logographic transfer effect suggestive of a language experience— specific advantage. A syntactic decision task evaluated the degree to which the new language was mastered beyond the single word level. No L1-specific transfer effects were found for artificial language strings. However, when carrying out the same task in the native language, both the Chinese-English and the English-French bilinguals outperformed the English monolinguals, indicative of a bilingual processing advantage. The results are discussed in relation to possible differences in processing styles relating to logographic versus alphabetic languages, variably involving visual versus phonological coding.

Goal Integration and Well-Being: Self-Regulation Through Inner Resources in the Netherlands and Spain

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:24:37 PDT

Personality integration has been related to individual well-being. The present study focused on the combined influence of personality integration through the personal-striving goal construct, active-passive approach toward achieving one’s goals, and inner resources on well-being. Specific attention was given to how this process works out in two culturally different countries: the Netherlands and Spain. Results indicated that goal integration, passive thinking, active thinking, and vitality were higher in the Netherlands compared to Spain. It was also shown that inner resources combined with active thinking to function as a buffer for the possible negative effects on vitality. Results were similar in both countries, a finding that provides an indication for possible cross-cultural generalization of this process. The overall results present active-passive thinking combined with inner resources as an influential factor in the relation between goal integration and well-being.

Does the Job Satisfaction--Job Performance Relationship Vary Across Cultures?

Ng, T. W. H., Sorensen, K. L., Yim, F. H. K. — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:24:37 PDT

The purpose of this study is to examine whether culture moderates the relationship between job satisfaction and job performance. Multiple theoretical frameworks regarding culture are used as the theoretical guide. Based on meta-analytical moderator tests, the authors find some support for their hypotheses that the effect size for the job satisfaction—job performance relationship is likely to be stronger in individualistic (vs. collectivistic) cultures, in low-power-distance (vs. high-power-distance) cultures, in low-uncertainty-avoidance (vs. high-uncertainty-avoidance) cultures, and in masculine (vs. feminine) cultures. They also observe stronger evidence of these effects for task performance than for contextual performance. Implications for theory, practice, and future research are discussed.

Child Rearing in a Group Setting: Beliefs of Dutch, Caribbean Dutch, and Mediterranean Dutch Caregivers in Center-Based Child Care

Huijbregts, S. K., Tavecchio, L., Leseman, P., Hoffenaar, P. — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:24:37 PDT

Child care centers in Western countries are becoming increasingly culturally diverse, regarding both professional caregivers, children, and their parents. Child-rearing beliefs, which differ between cultures, are found to affect process quality and children’s developmental outcomes. The first aim of this study is to investigate cultural differences in caregivers’ cultural child-rearing beliefs through a semistructured interview. The second aim is to explore the relation between the centers’ cultural context and caregivers’ beliefs. Participants are 61 caregivers (20 Dutch, 20 Caribbean Dutch, and 21 Mediterranean Dutch) working in Dutch child care centers with 2- to 4-year-olds. Cultural differences between Dutch and immigrant caregivers are evident. Dutch caregivers mentioned independence as a socialization goal most, whereas Mediterranean Dutch caregivers stressed collectivistic child-rearing goals most. More years of experience and a positive orientation toward the Dutch society made caregivers value individualistic child-rearing goals more. Working in an ethnically diverse context made both immigrant and Dutch caregivers express collectivistic beliefs more. The results further demonstrate that all cultural groups valued dimensions of both individualism and collectivism, providing further support for the multidimensionality of child-rearing beliefs.

Assessing the Cross-Cultural Validity of a Parental Autonomy Granting Measure: Comparing Adolescents in the United States, China, Mexico, and India

Supple, A. J., Ghazarian, S. R., Peterson, G. W., Bush, K. R. — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:24:37 PDT

This study investigates the cross-cultural validity of a 10-item parental autonomy granting measure with samples of adolescents from the United States, China, Mexico, and India. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis suggested a moderately high degree of cross-cultural equivalence, particularly for the United States and China. Invariance in item loadings was found across samples, with the exception of items assessing freedom regarding career choices and encouragement to participate in family decisions. Correlations between autonomy granting and three criterion factors suggested that, across cultures, parental autonomy granting is associated with higher perceptions of parental support and greater effort exerted in school. Correlations varied in reference to associations between parental autonomy granting and reports of love withdrawal from mothers and fathers. Results also suggested that mean levels of autonomy granting from parents were highest in the U.S. sample and lowest in China. Results provide support for the universality of autonomy granting as a salient aspect of parenting across cultures but also point to areas where significant cultural differences exist.

Sociocultural Influences on German and Turkish Immigrant Mothers' Long-Term Socialization Goals

Durgel, E. S., Leyendecker, B., Yagmurlu, B., Harwood, R. — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:24:37 PDT

The major aims of this study were (a) to investigate the differences and similarities in long-term socialization goals of German mothers and Turkish immigrant mothers living in Germany and (b) to examine socialization goals of Turkish immigrant mothers in relation to their acculturation attitudes. Participants were composed of 79 Turkish mothers who were either raised in Germany or migrated to Germany and 91 German mothers of preschoolers living in Germany. Turkish immigrant mothers were more likely to expect their children to have close relations with the family and to be well-mannered and they were less likely to value autonomy than were German mothers. Turkish mothers who were more integrated into German culture were found to value individualistic goals such as self-control more than Turkish mothers who were more separated from the German culture, yet both groups valued mutual support within the family very highly. The findings reveal that socialization goal patterns of Turkish immigrant mothers represent the pattern depicted in the psychological interdependence model proposed by Kagitcibasi (2007).

Supportive and Unsupportive Social Interactions in Relation to Cultural Adaptation and Psychological Distress Among Somali Refugees Exposed to Collective or Personal Traumas

Jorden, S., Matheson, K., Anisman, H. — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:24:38 PDT

The present study evaluated the traumatic stressors experienced by Somali refugees to Canada (N = 169) that might be associated with poorer cultural adaptation and greater depressive and trauma symptoms. As well, it was suggested that indices of social support might mediate the relations between traumatic experiences and psychological outcomes. Regression analyses indicated that collective trauma experiences (e.g., civil warfare) were associated with poorer cultural adaptation but were not related to depressive and trauma symptoms. Furthermore, collective trauma was unrelated to social support perceptions that might have mediated the relation to cultural adaptation. In contrast, personally traumatic experiences (e.g., assault from a familiar other) were related to increased depressive and trauma symptoms, and these relations were mediated by self-reports of encountering unsupportive social interactions. Qualitative analyses of interview data (n = 23) suggested that refugees had developed a shared understanding of collective trauma that may have protected against psychological distress.

Helping Strangers Is Lower in Embedded Cultures

Knafo, A., Schwartz, S. H., Levine, R. V. — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:24:38 PDT

The embeddedness cultural value orientation regards the extended in-group, not the individual, as the key social unit. Embedded cultures focus on the welfare of the in-group, limiting concern for outsiders’ well-being. Therefore, the authors hypothesized that people in high-embeddedness cultures are less helpful to strangers in need. They related countries’ embeddedness scores to rates of helping strangers in three field experiments across 21 countries. Large cross-national differences in helping strangers related strongly and negatively to cultural embeddedness in subsets of wealthy and developing countries. This suggests that prevailing cultural values affect the way people relate to needy others outside their in-group.

Literacy, Negotiable Fate, and Thinking Style Among Low Income Women in India

Chaturvedi, A., Chiu, C.-y., Viswanathan, M. — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:24:38 PDT

Few studies have examined how cultural models of agency and literacy are related to thinking styles. The present study fills this gap by examining these links among 180 low-income women with low to moderate levels of literacy. Among these women, those with lower literacy levels believed more strongly in negotiable fate—the belief that although one lacks direct control over one’s fate, one can negotiate control with it. More importantly, among the low-literate participants, the belief in negotiable fate was linked to a greater tendency to exhibit decontextualized judgment and rule-based categorization. This result suggests that thinking style may grow out of an adaptive process whereby people with limited resources negotiate control with the harsh environment they face. This result also highlights the theoretical contribution of a sociocultural perspective to thinking style.

Burnout, Perceived Stress, and Resources Among Educated, Working Jews and Moslem Arabs in Israel: A Cross-Cultural Perspective

Liat, K. — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:24:38 PDT

This study deals with differences in levels of burnout and in the variables that explain it (perceived stress, personal resources, and social resources) among 109 Jews and 122 Moslem Arabs belonging to dual-earner families in Israel. Levels of burnout and variables that explain it are similar for the Jews and Moslem Arabs. The variables that most significantly explain levels of burnout in the two sociocultural contexts are hardiness, perceived stress, and gender.