Deck 13: Cultural Variation in Experience, Behavior, and Personality

Question 1

According to the text, ________ refers to the psychological attributes of groups.

A) culture
B) acculturation
C) socioeconomic status
D) enculturation

Answer 1

A

Question 2

According to the text, which characteristic of cultures might be the MOST difficult to judge?

A) toughness
B) tightness
C) heart
D) complexity

Answer 2

D

Question 3

David McClelland would argue that a culture that tells stories emphasizing community and social bonds would have a high need for

A) community.
B) achievement.
C) affiliation.
D) agreeableness.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

According to Cohen, Nisbett, Bowdle, and Schwartz (1996), the American South has a culture that involves elaborate displays of mutual respect. This idea is called the

A) culture of obligation.
B) culture of honor.
C) ritualistic respect.
D) customs of obligation.

Question 5

Components of ideas that are particular to a specific culture are called ________, and components that are universal across cultures are called ________.

A) individualisms; collectivisms
B) emics; etics
C) cultures; values
D) etics; emics

Question 6

The best analogy to describe the experience-near constructs within the field of cross-cultural psychology is

A) "walking a mile in another's shoes."
B) "the squeaky wheel gets the grease."
C) "seeing the world through different lenses."
D) "the nail that stands out gets pounded down."

Question 7

According to the textbook, what behavior led to a Danish mother's arrest in New York?

A) breastfeeding in public
B) spanking her child in public
C) leaving her 14-month-old daughter asleep in a stroller
D) giving marijuana to her 16-year-old son

Question 8

According to Henrich et al., 80 percent of participants come from countries that are

A) Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic.
B) white, European, independent, Republican, and diligent.
C) wealthy, extraverted, intellectual, reactive, and dominant.
D) weak, Eastern, introverted, regressive, and distant.

Question 9

It has been suggested that the only way psychologists can address the generalizability issue is to

A) conduct research using participants from around the world.
B) limit their focus to one homogeneous sample at a time.
C) subtract the effects of culture from their research findings.
D) repeat their studies in carefully controlled laboratory settings.

Question 10

Psychologists who are concerned that the results of contemporary empirical research may not apply to all people everywhere are questioning the ________ of those results.

A) reliability
B) generalizability
C) cross-cultural flexibility
D) construct validity

Question 11

If members of two cultures experience the same emotions, seek the same goals, and organize their thoughts in comparable ways, then the two cultures

A) are individualistic cultures.
B) have collectivist construals.
C) have similar experience-near constructs.
D) view the world through culture-free lenses.

Question 12

________ occurs when a child picks up the cultural influences of the place where he or she grows up.

A) Acculturation
B) Enculturation
C) Assimilation
D) Accommodation

Question 13

According to the text, what two factors are hypothesized to influence whether a culture is high in tightness?

A) population density and economic conditions
B) ethnic homogeneity and economic conditions
C) ethnic homogeneity and population density
D) population density and the dominant religion

Question 14

Nima moved to the United States when she was 5 years old, and she gradually adopted the language, attitudes, and styles of American culture. The process through which Nima became Americanized is known as

A) enculturation.
B) acculturation.
C) accommodation.
D) assimilation.

Question 15

David McClelland would argue that a culture that emphasizes children's stories, such as "The Little Engine That Could," has a high need for

A) achievement.
B) affiliation.
C) appraisal.
D) affluence.

Question 16

What term associated with Japanese culture refers to indulgence and dependence that may exist between a parent and child?

A) amae
B) anatta
C) anicca
D) amie

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT an important reason for identifying cross-cultural differences in experience, personality, and behavior?

A) The differences provide support for genetic explanations for personality.
B) The differences, if not understood, may cause misunderstandings.
C) Such differences tell us about variability in human experiences.
D) Cross-cultural research informs us about the generalizability of research findings.

Question 18

Concepts like amae and yuan might be ________, whereas concepts like duty and obligations to the group might be ________.

A) etic; emic
B) emic; etic
C) experience near; experience far
D) experience far; experience near

Question 19

According to the text, what term describes cultures that have only a few socially sanctioned goals and only a few ways to achieve these goals?

A) authoritarian
B) vertical
C) tough
D) stressful

Question 20

________ occurs when someone moves to a new place and gradually picks up the culture of the new location.

A) Acculturation
B) Enculturation
C) Assimilation
D) Accommodation

Question 21

Which finding has been used to support the argument that personality itself has no meaning in collectivist societies?

A) the inability of researchers to find Big Five domains in cultures outside of the United States
B) the relatively few number of trait-related words in Chinese
C) the inability of Japanese individuals to understand personality inventories
D) the lack of predictive validity of trait measures in Asian countries

Question 22

According to Triandis, cultures that tolerate very little deviation from cultural norms are high in

A) collectivism.
B) agency.
C) strictness.
D) tightness.

Question 23

Although individuals from a(n) ________ culture may become discouraged after negative feedback, individuals from a(n) ________ culture tend to be more encouraged to do better next time.

A) tight; loose
B) loose; tight
C) individualistic; collectivistic
D) collectivistic; individualistic

Question 24

Based on research discussed in the text comparing the importance of personality traits between individualistic and collectivistic countries, in which country would you expect there to be less research on personality traits and more research on social phenomena?

A) United States
B) New Zealand
C) China
D) Germany

Question 25

Members of different kinds of cultures may experience emotions differently. People in ________ countries report more self-focused emotions, whereas people in ________ countries are more likely to report other-focused emotions.

A) emic; etic
B) complex; simple
C) tight; loose
D) individualistic; collectivist

Question 26

Which of the following countries would MOST likely be classified as having a "loose" culture?

A) United States
B) China
C) Japan
D) Germany

Question 27

________ cultures tend to emphasize the needs of the group.

A) Tight
B) Collectivist
C) Complex
D) Tough

Question 28

One potential argument for the claim that personality seems to matter less in collectivistic cultures is that

A) the Chinese language has far fewer trait words than the English language.
B) more autobiographies are written in collectivistic cultures.
C) social hierarchies are more important in individualistic cultures.
D) Chinese students often call their professors by their first names whereas American students never do.

Question 29

Members from which country would be MOST likely to self-enhance?

A) Spain
B) China
C) Germany
D) India

Question 30

Which of the following is NOT a "strength of the head"?

A) artistic excellence
B) creativity
C) critical thinking
D) fairness

Question 31

A culture that stresses "tall poppies are cut first" or that "the nail that stands out gets pounded down" might be high in which cultural dimension?

A) tightness
B) collectivism
C) heart
D) toughness

Question 32

What does self-determination mean?

A) Your behavior is a result of the situation you are in.
B) Your behavior is a result of your own personality.
C) Free will is only a consideration in individualistic cultures.
D) Your behavior is more consistent the more socially embedded you are.

Question 33

If less than 2 percent of a country's population exhibits left-handedness, then cross-cultural researchers might say that this is likely a(n) ________ culture.

A) tight
B) simple
C) collectivist
D) loose

Question 34

"Losing face" is a primary danger in a(n) ________ culture.

A) complex
B) individualist
C) tight
D) collectivist

Question 35

The holier-than-thou effect is MOST likely to occur in members from what country?

A) Spain
B) China
C) England
D) India

Question 36

According to Triandis, ________ societies assume that individuals are importantly different from each other.

A) vertical
B) authoritarian
C) horizontal
D) idiographic

Question 37

According to one study, city residents who scored higher on strengths of the head tended to vote for the ________ presidential nominee.

A) Republican
B) Independent
C) Democratic
D) Green Party

Question 38

An individual from ________ is more likely to have a different emotional experience at school versus at home with their family, compared to an individual from ________, who is more likely to have a similar emotional experience at school and at home.

A) New Zealand; Japan
B) Japan; China
C) United States; China
D) China; United States

Question 39

Which of the following people is likely to be the MOST individualistic?

A) a woman from Japan
B) a man from India
C) an African American woman
D) a European American man

Question 40

According to Park and Peterson (2010), which attribute is a strength of the heart?

A) mercy
B) creativity
C) curiosity
D) artistic excellence

Question 41

According to the text, which of the following is considered to have an individualist-horizontal society?

A) Brazil
B) Israel
C) Norway
D) France

Question 42

The United States is a ________ culture.

A) tough
B) face
C) horizontal collectivist
D) dignity

Question 43

What condition or conditions seem to facilitate the development of honor cultures?

A) central governments and well-established judicial systems
B) weak central governments and a lack of police
C) low population density
D) collectivist values

Question 44

The individualist versus collectivist distinction is analogous to the distinction between ________ with respect to personal values.

A) ideocentrism and allocentrism
B) conscientiousness and intolerance for ambiguity
C) extraversion and introversion
D) neuroticism and emotional stability

Question 45

Shannon has lived in Wisconsin her whole life. According to the Rentfrow, Gosling, and Potter (2008) study of geographic variation in personality, which type of person is Shannon likely to be?

A) friendly and conventional
B) temperamental and uninhibited
C) relaxed and creative
D) extraverted and agreeable

Question 46

According to a recent survey, which of these countries had the highest levels of self-compassion?

A) Thailand
B) Taiwan
C) United States
D) All three countries had the same average levels of self-compassion.

Question 47

Countries with low average levels of self-esteem also tend to have high rates of

A) narcissism.
B) locus of control.
C) violence.
D) suicide.

Question 48

Cultural tightness is analogous to the personality traits of

A) ideocentrism and allocentrism.
B) conscientiousness and intolerance for ambiguity.
C) extraversion and introversion.
D) neuroticism and emotional stability.

Question 49

Several studies have examined whether certain Big Five traits apply universally across cultures. As it stands, which trait does NOT appear to be truly universal?

A) agreeableness
B) extraversion
C) conscientiousness
D) openness

Question 50

The level of individualism in a country tends to increase over time as that country

A) becomes more economically developed.
B) increases in population size.
C) increases in population density.
D) has a more hierarchical social network.

Question 51

What conclusion emerges from item response theory (IRT) analyses that are used to evaluate the validity of cross-cultural comparisons of common personality measures?

A) Mean level comparisons across countries and cultures are straightforward.
B) Personality variability is greater in collectivist countries as compared to individualistic countries.
C) Mean level comparisons across countries might be difficult due to item-responding differences.
D) Most people use personality items in the same way regardless of culture.

Question 52

Which of the following is a negative outcome of relying on the individualism/collectivism dichotomy, particularly in regard to Japan and the United States?

A) The dichotomy is too similar to other cultural constructs, such as tightness/looseness or horizontal/vertical societies.
B) There is a limited amount of information that can be used to compare groups.
C) There is the potential for dehumanizing outgroup members.
D) Individualism and collectivism are not yet well-defined constructs.

Question 53

Cultural complexity is much like the individual personality trait of

A) the need for cognition.
B) emotional intelligence.
C) cognitive complexity.
D) allocentrism.

Question 54

According to the text, which of the following is considered to have a collectivist-vertical society?

A) United States
B) Israel
C) Japan
D) China

Question 55

What is the MOST dominant criticism for the collectivistic/individualistic dichotomy in the comparison between Japan and the United States?

A) The United States and Japan score relatively similarly on individualism measures.
B) There is typically a great difference between the sample sizes in the United States and Japan.
C) There are more females in the United States, and so the results are biased and uninterpretable.
D) Individualism and collectivism are not yet well-defined constructs.

Question 56

Some cross-cultural researchers compare average levels of traits across cultures. For example, Chueng and Song (1989) found that Chinese participants generally described themselves as higher on ________ when compared to an American sample.

A) emotional reserve
B) extraversion
C) impulsivity
D) sensation seeking

Question 57

Studies of endogenous personality descriptors in China and Spain seem to suggest that there are ________ factors in each lexicon.

A) three
B) five
C) six
D) seven

Question 58

According to Triandis, ________ societies assume that all persons are essentially equal.

A) vertical
B) authoritative
C) horizontal
D) nomothetic

Question 59

Studies of cross-cultural gender differences in the Big Five tend to find that

A) few Big Five gender differences replicate across societies.
B) the size and direction of gender differences on these traits are the same in all societies.
C) the size of the gender differences is larger in more-developed societies than in less-developed societies.
D) the direction and size of gender differences on these traits fluctuate widely across societies.

Question 60

According to the text, cultures of face emerge in societies that

A) have higher rates of suicide.
B) have societies with weak forces of civilization.
C) are highly sensitive to threats of prestige or distinction.
D) are stable hierarchies based on cooperation.

Question 61

According to the ecological approach, differences in ecology generate differences in ________, which in turn shapes ________.

A) socialization; culture
B) personality; culture
C) culture; socialization
D) behavior; personality

Question 62

In Triandis's model, the distinctive tasks a culture needs to accomplish and the physical layout and resources of its land are called the culture's

A) ecology.
B) complexity.
C) socialization processes.
D) personality.

Question 63

What does it mean for a culture to think holistically?

A) It explains events in context and seeks to integrate divergent points of view.
B) It describes people in terms of their traits, life stories, and personal goals.
C) It describes the world as it stands in the present moment.
D) It explains events in isolation and seeks to set different points of views against one another.

Question 64

Cross-cultural psychology has examined differences in the way that members of various cultures think. Some research suggests that people from collectivist cultures think more ________ than those from individualistic cultures.

A) holistically
B) logically
C) creatively
D) intelligently

Question 65

Shalom Schwartz and Lilach Sagiv (1995) identified ________ and ________ as the two basic dimensions that they believe organize universal values.

A) openness to change versus conservatism; self-transcendence versus self-enhancement
B) openness to change versus conservatism; agency versus communion
C) collectivism versus individualism; vertical versus horizontal
D) agency versus communion; utilitarian versus deontic

Question 66

Rakim argues that a particular culture's distinctive view of reality simply exists and believes that there is no way to meaningfully address the origin of cultural differences. Rakim seems to subscribe to which philosophical tradition?

A) empiricism
B) existentialism
C) deconstructionism
D) naturalism

Question 67

The example of the abortion debate that illustrates the difference between personal freedoms and group moral responsibility illustrates which inherent cultural distinction?

A) tough versus easy
B) horizontal versus vertical
C) individualism versus collectivism
D) etic versus emic

Question 68

Which value would MOST likely be associated with a collectivist culture?

A) liberty
B) reciprocity
C) rights
D) freedom

Question 69

Why is relativism considered bad in the context of cross-cultural psychology?

A) Researchers may disregard cultural practices and customs that are actually quite harmful to the group.
B) Researchers may be too biased by their own ethnocentrism to accurately judge another culture.
C) Cultural relativism tends to increase the likelihood for out-group homogeneity biases.
D) Cultural relativism might decrease the likelihood of finding cultural emics.

Question 70

The tendency to see members of your own group as very different from one another but the members of groups to which you do not belong as very similar to each other is called the

A) ethnocentric error.
B) in-group favoritism bias.
C) bicultural contrast error.
D) outgroup homogeneity bias.

Question 71

Ethnocentrism is the tendency to

A) judge another culture from the point of view of our own.
B) see members of groups to which we do not belong as all being alike.
C) see members of our own ethnic group as all being very different from one another.
D) limit the focus of cross-cultural research by studying one group at a time.

Question 72

One reason Europeans were able to colonize and dominate other cultures was that they

A) never needed to develop metal-based tools for agriculture.
B) lived close together in cities and thereby developed immunities to certain diseases.
C) gathered food rather than hunted or farmed.
D) failed to appreciate the importance of their local geography.

Question 73

Cross-cultural researchers interested in discovering universal values are developing an ________ measure.

A) emic
B) etic
C) ethnocentric
D) endogenous

Question 74

Extraversion, openness, and sociosexuality might be lower in countries near the equator because low levels of these traits

A) facilitate greater group cooperation.
B) reduce interpersonal contact and disease risk.
C) promote psychological well-being in warm climates.
D) facilitate hunting in complicated ecological systems.

Question 75

Given that around half of the world's population is bilingual, half of the world's population is also likely to

A) be left-handed.
B) have a high level of bicultural identity formation.
C) be bicultural.
D) be ethnocentric.

Question 76

We are MOST likely to commit ethnocentrism when the "real" nature of the situation

A) is difficult to understand.
B) directly affects us.
C) seems very obvious.
D) does not involve us.

Question 77

Jinny's parents are from China, but she was born and raised in the United States. If Jinny believes that American culture and Chinese culture are in conflict with each other, she is likely to be ________ in ________.

A) high; bicultural identity integration
B) low; bicultural identity integration
C) high; ethnocentrism
D) low; ethnocentrism

Question 78

The idea that all cultural views are equally valid and that it is ethnocentric to think otherwise is called

A) the semiotic subject fallacy.
B) the deconstructionist dodge.
C) cultural relativism.
D) semiotic pluralism.

Question 79

Individuals from which country would be the LEAST willing to describe themselves in contradictory terms?

A) China
B) Japan
C) India
D) United States

Question 80

Which of the following is NOT evidence for genetic differences as a source of cultural differences?

A) The DRD4 gene has been found in both Americans and Asians.
B) Individuals from collectivistic cultures tend to have more children.
C) Individuals within a cultural group are only slightly more similar to each other in their DNA makeup than they are to individuals outside their cultural group.
D) Because individuals move in and out of cultures so frequently, it is difficult to define cultural groups on the basis of anything in particular.