Question 1

When Ann Swidler asked middle-class men and women in California to define "real love" in the romantic sense, what answers did they give?

Accepted Answer

Participants described either the "Hollywood" or the "prosaic" concept of romantic love, in about equal numbers.

Question 2

The German word for enjoyment of another person's suffering is .

Accepted Answer

Schadenfreude is the German word for enjoyment of another person's suffering.

Question 3

Which of the following statements about the Japanese concept of amae is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

The English word "affection" does not fully capture the concept of amae, which involves a sense of dependency and indulgence in relationships, beyond just affection.

Question 4

Haidt and Keltner (1999) conducted a study in which participants in the United States and Eastern India looked at posed expressions of embarrassment and shame, provided an emotion label for that expression, and were asked to tell a story about what might have happened to cause the person's emotion. Which of the following is FALSE regarding the results of the study?

Accepted Answer

Participants in India did not necessarily say that both the embarrassed-looking and the ashamed-looking people had done something wrong; they used the same term "lajya" for both emotions, which does not imply wrongdoing for both.

Question 5

What is the main implication of Haidt and Keltner's (1999) study of how people interpret embarrassment and shame expressions in the United States and Eastern India?

Accepted Answer

Haidt and Keltner's study suggests that people can distinguish between embarrassment and shame based on expressions, even if their language lacks distinct words for these emotions.

Question 6

Which of the following statements about individualism is TRUE, according to evidence discussed in your textbook?

Accepted Answer

As societies become wealthier, they tend to become more individualistic, reflecting a shift towards personal autonomy and self-expression.

Question 7

Two students, Jia from China and Julie from the United States, each learn that their best friend has cheated on an important exam. Which of the following predictions is most consistent with existing research on culture and emotion?

Accepted Answer

Research suggests that in collectivist cultures like China, individuals often have a self-concept that is more interdependent and defined by relationships, leading to stronger feelings of shame when someone close to them behaves inappropriately.

Question 8

Which of the following statements regarding the cultural dimension of power distance is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

In high-power distance cultures, low-status people are less likely to display anger openly towards high-status individuals due to the hierarchical nature and respect for authority.

Question 9

Which of the following is the best definition of epistemology?

Accepted Answer

Epistemology is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of knowledge and understanding.

Question 10

Western cultures, including the United States, are characterized by epistemology, whereas East Asian cultures are more strongly characterized by epistemology.

Accepted Answer

Western cultures are often characterized by linear epistemology, which emphasizes direct, logical reasoning and clear distinctions between concepts. In contrast, East Asian cultures are more associated with dialectical epistemology, which embraces contradictions and seeks a balance between opposing viewpoints.

Question 11

Which of the following is FALSE regarding the Shiota and colleagues (2010) study of emotion in conversations between romantic partners in Asian-American versus European-American couples?

Accepted Answer

The study did not find that Asian-American partners were more critical of each other than European-Americans. This statement is false.

Question 12

According to your textbook, people in the United States may live in very different cultures, depending upon:

Accepted Answer

People in the United States can experience different cultures based on their ethnic heritage, religious background, and the region of the country they were raised in, as all these factors contribute to cultural diversity.

Question 13

Which dimension of culture best captures the extent to which people define their identities in terms of unique characteristics and ways they differ from others, versus relationships and membership in groups?

Accepted Answer

Individualism-collectivism is the cultural dimension that describes whether people in a society prioritize individual identity and personal achievements (individualism) or group identity and collective achievements (collectivism).

Question 14

Your textbook describes hasham, an emotion concept among the Bedouin, as a pleasant combination of shyness and embarrassment experienced in the presence of a higher-status person than one's self. The importance of this emotion among the Bedouin suggests a relatively culture.

Accepted Answer

The importance of hasham among the Bedouin suggests a relatively vertical culture, where there is a strong emphasis on hierarchy and respect for authority figures.

Question 15

Which dimension of culture best captures the extent to which people emphasize continuity and constancy versus fluidity and change in understanding the world?

Accepted Answer

Linear vs. dialectical epistemology captures how cultures perceive the world in terms of continuity and constancy (linear) versus fluidity and change (dialectical).

Question 16

Which dimension of culture has been used to predict the extent to which people experience mixed positive and negative emotions?

Accepted Answer

Linear vs. dialectical epistemology is the dimension of culture that has been used to predict the extent to which people experience mixed emotions, as it relates to how people perceive and integrate contradictory information.

Question 17

In cultural priming, researchers study bicultural people who are reminded of one or the other of their cultural identities before completing some psychological task. What is the primary purpose of this manipulation?

Accepted Answer

The primary purpose of cultural priming is to investigate whether activating a particular cultural mindset can lead to differences in psychological outcomes, such as behavior, attitudes, or perceptions.

Question 18

A researcher gathers a sample of individuals from Indian families who were raised in North America (and are presumably Indian-American biculturals) to participate in her study. She randomly assigns participants to either draw a diagram showing the hierarchical relationships among their family members, or to list ways in which their family members are equal to each other. After this experimental manipulation, all participants are asked to sing "happy birthday" out loud in front of several people, and to report how embarrassed they felt during this task. The researcher is probably interested in learning:

Accepted Answer

The researcher is interested in whether power distance, as an aspect of culture, causally influences people's experience of embarrassment. The experimental manipulation of asking participants to draw a diagram showing the hierarchical relationships among their family members or to list ways in which their family members are equal to each other is designed to prime participants with either a hierarchical or egalitarian cultural mindset. The subsequent task of singing "happy birthday" out loud in front of several people is designed to elicit feelings of embarrassment, and the researcher is interested in whether the cultural priming affects the intensity of these feelings.

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of societies in which a culture of honor, as defined by Dov Cohen and colleagues (1996), tends to emerge?

Accepted Answer

In cultures of honor, individuals are often more self-reliant and less dependent on community support for resources and protection, as personal reputation and the ability to defend oneself are emphasized.

Question 20

In Dov Cohen and colleagues' culture of honor study, who were the "confederates?"

Accepted Answer

Confederates are members of the research team who act as participants or bystanders to manipulate the social environment in an experiment.

Quiz 3: Culture and Emotion