Here and there
Does Travel Broaden the Mind? Breadth of Foreign Experiences Increases Generalized Trust
Jiyin Cao, Adam Galinsky & William Maddux
Social Psychological and Personality Science, forthcoming
Abstract:
Five studies examined the effect of breadth and depth of foreign experiences on generalized trust. Study 1 found that the breadth (number of countries traveled) but not the depth (amount of time spent traveling) of foreign travel experiences predicted trust behavior in a decision-making game. Studies 2 and 3 established a causal effect on generalized trust by experimentally manipulating a focus on the breadth versus depth of foreign experiences. Study 4 used a longitudinal design to establish that broad foreign travel experiences increased generalized trust. Study 5 explored the underlying processes and found that a focus on the differences rather than the similarities among the countries visited was critical in producing greater generalized trust. Across five studies, using various methods (correlational, lab experiment, and longitudinal), samples (United States and Chinese) and operationalizations (trust game and generalized trust scale), we found a robust relationship between the breadth of foreign travel experiences and generalized trust.
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Individualism and the cultural roots of management practices
André van Hoorn
Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, forthcoming
Abstract:
We study the cultural foundations of management practices, which are increasingly recognized as important determinants of firm performance. This research closes the loop on two developing literatures, one seeking cultural explanations for economic development and the other seeking to account for differences in firm performance from differences in how firms are managed. Theoretically, we expect individualist culture to improve management practices because it formalizes the labor relation. Results show that higher individualism is strongly associated with more sophisticated management practices. Several robustness checks confirm our findings. In a direct test, culture is a much more important determinant of management practices than are key formal institutions. Moreover, a formal test shows that management practices are indeed an important mediator in the empirical link between culture and per-capita income. The evidence presented in this paper moves us forward in opening up the black box of culture-performance linkages, helping us to understand better the channels through which culture can affect economic prosperity.
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A Very Economic Elite: The Case of the Danish Top CEOs
Christoph Houman Ellersgaard, Anton Grau Larsen & Martin Munk
Sociology, December 2013, Pages 1051-1071
Abstract:
Although the business elites in western societies have a very privileged social background in common, there are substantial differences in the reproduction mechanisms and social trajectories leading to a position within this elite group. These differences are explored by comparing the career paths of the top 100 CEOs in Britain, France, Germany and Denmark. In France and Britain, this reproduction is mediated through degrees from elite universities. In Germany, the principle of admission is the incorporated cultural capital acquired through an exclusive bourgeois origin combined with any university degree. Elite universities also hold little importance for Danish top CEOs, partly due to the institutions’ historic decline; instead, reproduction is mediated through time spent in the economic field, placing the case of the Danish CEOs between that of their British and German counterparts. Specific trajectories of Danish executives, in particular sales people, are identified using Multiple Correspondence Analysis and cluster analysis.
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Kuba Krys et al.
Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, February 2014, Pages 314-321
Abstract:
Studies on social perception reveal that on many dimensions, smiling individuals are perceived more positively in comparison with non-smiling individuals. The experiment carried out in seven countries (China, Germany, Iran, Norway, Poland, USA, and the Republic of South Africa) showed that in some cultures, smiling individuals may be perceived less favorably than non-smiling individuals. We compared ratings of intelligence made by participants viewing photos of smiling and non-smiling people. The results showed that smiling individuals were perceived as more intelligent in Germany and in China; smiling individuals were perceived as less intelligent than the (same) non-smiling individuals in Iran. We suggest that the obtained effects can be explained by the cultural diversity within the dimension of uncertainty avoidance described in the GLOBE (Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness) project by House, Hanges, Javidan, Dorfman, and Gupta.
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Why do Firms (not) Hedge? - Novel Evidence on Cultural Influence
Martin Lievenbrück & Thomas Schmid
Journal of Corporate Finance, April 2014, Pages 92–106
Abstract:
We examine whether cultural differences between countries help explaining firms’ hedging decisions. For this, we manually collect data on the hedging behavior of worldwide energy utilities. The analysis reveals a strong impact of a country’s long-term orientation, which reduces the probability for hedging and the hedged volume. The only other factor with a consistently higher economic impact is firm size. Furthermore, hedging with options is less common in countries with a high level of masculinity. Overall, the results reveal that culture has a strong impact on the hedging behavior of firms. This influence is not captured by other country-specific factors such as economic development or the legal framework.
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Cross-border media and nationalism: Evidence from Serbian radio in Croatia
Stefano DellaVigna et al.
American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, forthcoming
Abstract:
How do nationalistic media affect animosity between ethnic groups? We consider one of Europe’s deadliest conflicts since WWII: the Serbo-Croatian conflict. We show that, after a decade of peace, cross-border nationalistic Serbian radio triggers ethnic hatred towards Serbs in Croatia. Mostly attracted by non-political content, many Croats listen to Serbian public radio (intended for Serbs in Serbia) whenever signal is available. As a result, the vote for extreme nationalist parties is higher, and ethnically offensive graffiti are more common, in Croatian villages with Serbian radio reception. A laboratory experiment confirms that Serbian radio exposure causes anti-Serbian sentiment among Croats.
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William Maddux et al.
Social Psychological and Personality Science, forthcoming
Abstract:
A longitudinal study found that the psychological approach individuals take when immersed in a general multicultural environment can predict subsequent career success. Using a culturally diverse sample, we found that “multicultural engagement” — the extent to which students adapted to and learned about new cultures — during a highly international 10-month master of business administration (MBA) program predicted the number of job offers students received after the program, even when controlling for important personality/demographic variables. Furthermore, multicultural engagement predicted an increase in integrative complexity over the course of the 10-month program, and this increase in integrative complexity mediated the effect of multicultural engagement on job market success. This study demonstrates that even when individuals are exposed to the same multicultural environment, it is their psychological approach and engagement with different cultures that determines growth in integrative complexity and tangible increases in professional opportunities.
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5,535 Hours of Impact: Effects of Olympic Media on Nationalism Attitudes
Andrew Billings, Kenon Brown & Natalie Brown
Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, Fall 2013, Pages 579-595
Abstract:
Past studies have shown how international events such as the Olympic broadcast tend to favor athletes from a home nation in terms of both the amount of time devoted and the descriptions ascribed to home-nation athletes. This study highlights the ramifications of this focus on nationalism within the 2012 London Olympic telecast. A survey of 342 respondents at three different points in time (immediately before the Olympics, immediately after, and one month after) was conducted to determine the relationship between Olympic media exposure and nationalistic attitudes. Results showed that heavy viewers of the Olympics displayed significantly higher levels of nationalism, patriotism, internationalism and smugness than light viewers of Olympic media. Moreover, regarding differences between measurements before and after the Olympics, only smugness increased over time. Theoretical extrapolations of cultivation effects are offered, as are directions for future research.
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Andrew Billings et al.
Mass Communication and Society, November/December 2013, Pages 910-932
Abstract:
To measure relationships between Olympic media viewing and nation-based attitudes, 6 nations (Australia, Bulgaria, China, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and the United States) were surveyed in the 5 days immediately after the 2012 London Olympics. A total of 1,025 respondents answered questions pertaining to four measures of nationalism: patriotism, nationalism, internationalism, and smugness. The amount of Olympic viewing resulted in significantly higher scores for patriotism, nationalism, and smugness, but not internationalism. In addition, differences by nation are reported, revealing considerable differences in nationalism measures among the 6 nations studied; for instance, the United States was the lowest of the 6 nations regarding internationalism yet highest of the 6 nations regarding smugness. Conclusions related to theory and the role of Olympic media content are offered.
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Cultural Variation in the Minimal Group Effect
Carl Falk, Steven Heine & Kosuke Takemura
Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, February 2014, Pages 265-281
Abstract:
The minimal group effect (MGE) is one of the most robust psychological findings in studies of intergroup conflict, yet there is little evidence comparing its magnitude across cultures. Recent evidence suggests that the MGE is due in part to a projection of one’s own perceived characteristics onto the novel in-group. Because of cultural variability in self-enhancement motivations, we thus expected that those from East Asian cultures would exhibit a diminished MGE relative to Westerners. A large and diverse sample of Japanese and American participants completed a traditional minimal group study. American participants were more likely to show an in-group bias in group identification, perceived group intelligence, perceived group personality traits, and resource allocation. Furthermore, these cultural differences were partially mediated by self-esteem. We discuss the implication of these findings for theories of intergroup conflict and suggest multiple directions for future cross-cultural research on the MGE.
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Cultural determinants of status: Implications for workplace evaluations and behaviors
Carlos Torelli et al.
Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, January 2014, Pages 34–48
Abstract:
Status is a valued workplace resource that facilitates career success, yet little is known regarding whether and how cultural orientation affects status attainment. We integrate status characteristics theory with the literature on individualism and collectivism and propose a cultural patterning in the determinants of status. Four studies (N = 379) demonstrate that cultural orientation influences the tendency to view high status individuals as competent versus warm (Study 1), uncover cultural differences in both individuals’ tendency to engage in competence and warmth behaviors to attain workplace status (Study 2) and evaluators’ tendency to ascribe status to individuals who demonstrate competence versus warmth (Study 3), and verify that cultural differences in the effects of competence and warmth on status perceptions, and in turn performance evaluations, generalize to real world interdependent groups (Study 4). Our findings advance theory on the cultural contingencies of status attainment and have implications for managing diversity at work.
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Psychopathological symptoms in two generations of the same family: A cross-cultural comparison
Cecilia Essau et al.
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, December 2013, Pages 2017-2026
Purpose: The main aims of the present study were to compare the frequency and correlates of psychopathological symptoms in two generations of the same family in Japan and in England.
Methods: The sample included 689 adolescents and one of their parents/guardians. All participants completed a set of questionnaires to measure psychopathological symptoms, self-construals, and perceived social support.
Results: In both parent and adolescent data, the Japanese sample reported significantly lower psychopathological symptoms than the English sample. The relationship between parental and adolescent psychopathology was significant in England, but not in Japan. In both countries, perceived social support and independent self-construal were generally associated with less psychopathological symptoms, and interdependent self-construal was associated with more symptoms. Additionally, in England, a significant interaction effect was found between social support and the self-construals. Participants with low independent and high interdependent self-construal had elevated levels of psychopathological symptoms when perceived social support was low.
Conclusions: The present study illustrates the importance of culture in the transmission of psychopathological symptoms across different generations in the same family.
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International Variation in Sin Stocks and its Effects on Equity Valuation
Larry Fauver & Michael McDonald
Journal of Corporate Finance, April 2014, Pages 173–187
Abstract:
We examine the impact of differences in time varying social views towards sin stocks across G20 nations on firm valuation and excess returns. Sin stocks have an 8% lower equity valuation in countries where society is strongly against such industries. After controlling for other factors, sin stocks have excess returns of about 1-2% annually. However, these returns are largely arbitraged away in nations without capital and investment controls, but persist in countries with capital restrictions. These results are robust to proxies for litigation risk, transparency, growth opportunities, sin measures, and alternative measures of firm valuation.
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Xiaowei Lu et al.
Journal of Applied Social Psychology, forthcoming
Abstract:
The current research tested the concept of institutional agency (IA) and its implications for laypeople's attribution patterns related to economic behaviors and organizational responsibilities. The term “institutional agency” refers to a set of lay theories about whether or not an organization can have personhood and related mental properties, such as wishes, desires, intents, and responsibility. Through three cross-cultural studies, we found that people do form certain beliefs about IA which are similar to the legal discourse of institutional responsibility. However, there are significant cultural differences in views of IA, and the concept is more mentally salient for Americans than for Chinese. In Study 1, we distinguished institutional from group agency by showing the cultural differences on attributions in the scenario with “individual vs. group agency” and the scenario with “individual vs. institutional agency.” In Study 2, we again demonstrated the stronger salience of IA for Americans than for Chinese by including the individual, group, and institutional agencies together in one scenario. In Study 3, we further demonstrated that the concept of IA is more salient for Americans by presenting three different agents in separate scenarios. The practical implications of these cultural differences for cross-cultural understanding and the psychological effects of economic globalization are discussed.
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Are Maximizers Unhappier than Satisficers? A Comparison between Japan and the USA
Shigehiro Oishi et al.
Journal of Research in Personality, forthcoming
Abstract:
The present research examined whether maximizing tendencies are associated with lower levels of subjective well-being among Japanese and American residents. Two popular scales exist to measure maximizing tendencies: a Schwartz et al. (2002) scale that conceptualizes maximizing as a combination of high standards and a strong desire to optimize choice and a Diab, Gillespie, and Highhouse (2008) scale which primarily emphasizes the high standards component of maximizing tendencies. Among Americans, maximizers reported being more depressed, less happy, and less satisfied with their lives when assessed by Schwartz et al.’s (2002) scale. In contrast, when assessed by Diab et al.’s (2008) scale, American maximizers actually reported being happier than satisficers. Among Japanese, however, maximizers reported being more depressed, less happy, and less satisfied with their lives regardless of the scale used.
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Sex and Cultural Differences in Spatial Performance Between Japanese and North Americans
Maiko Sakamoto & Mary Spiers
Archives of Sexual Behavior, forthcoming
Abstract:
Previous studies have suggested that Asians perform better than North Americans on spatial tasks but show smaller sex differences. In this study, we evaluated the relationship between long-term experience with a pictorial written language and spatial performance. It was hypothesized that native Japanese Kanji (a complex pictorial written language) educated adults would show smaller sex differences on spatial tasks than Japanese Americans or North Americans without Kanji education. A total of 80 young healthy participants (20 native Japanese speakers, 20 Japanese Americans-non Japanese speaking, and 40 North Americans-non Japanese speaking) completed the Rey Complex Figure Test (RCFT), the Mental Rotations Test (MRT), and customized 2D and 3D spatial object location memory tests. As predicted, main effects revealed men performed better on the MRT and RCFT and women performed better on the spatial object location memory tests. Also, as predicted, native Japanese performed better on all tests than the other groups. In contrast to the other groups, native Japanese showed a decreased magnitude of sex differences on aspects of the RCFT (immediate and delayed recall) and no significant sex difference on the efficiency of the strategy used to copy and encode the RCFT figure. This study lends support to the idea that intensive experience over time with a pictorial written language (i.e., Japanese Kanji) may contribute to increased spatial performance on some spatial tasks as well as diminish sex differences in performance on tasks that most resemble Kanji.
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When Does Life Satisfaction Accompany Relational Identity Signaling: A Cross-Cultural Analysis
Robert Kreuzbauer et al.
Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, forthcoming
Abstract:
Economists have proposed that signaling one’s social identity can increase a person’s subjective utility or happiness. However, there is little cross-cultural research on this relationship. The present research fills this knowledge gap. Using relational identity signaling as an illustration, in two studies, the authors showed that relative to European Americans, Asians (Chinese and Indians) value the relational self more and have relatively high intention to signal their relational identities publicly. Furthermore, for Asians, relational identity signaling is accompanied by higher life satisfaction (the cognitive component of happiness) only when the assimilation motive is salient. In contrast, for European Americans, a positive relationship between relational identity signaling and life satisfaction emerges only when the differentiation motive is salient. These findings suggest that relational identity signaling can confer utility to both Asians and European Americans. Moreover, whether relational identity signaling would increase life satisfaction in a certain culture is a joint function of what the normative practice is in the culture and the motivation to seek social connection of the self to or differentiation of it from others.
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Marital age homogamy in China: A reversal of trend in the reform era?
Zheng Mu & Yu Xie
Social Science Research, March 2014, Pages 141–157
Abstract:
This paper reports on a study of trends in marital age homogamy in China from 1960 to 2005 that uses data from the China 2005 1% Population Inter-census Survey. Instead of a consistent increase in age homogamy, as expected, results show an inverted U-shaped trend. One plausible explanation is that intensified economic pressure, rising consumerism, and a shrinking gender gap in education during the post-1990s reform era have acted to increase women’s desire to marry men who are more economically established, and thus usually older, than less financially secure men. We argue that age hypergamy maintains status hypergamy, a deeply rooted norm for couples in China. An auxiliary analysis based on the human capital model for earnings supports this interpretation. A continued trend in age hypergamy implies a future “marriage squeeze” for men of low socioeconomic status.