Research article summary (published 30 Jul 2009):

A cultural task analysis of implicit independence: comparing North America, Western Europe, and East Asia.

Full Abstract

Informed by a new theoretical framework that assigns a key role to cultural tasks (culturally prescribed means to achieve cultural mandates such as independence and interdependence) in mediating the mutual influences between culture and psychological processes, the authors predicted and found that North Americans are more likely than Western Europeans (British and Germans) to (a) exhibit focused (vs. holistic) attention, (b) experience emotions associated with independence (vs. interdependence), (c) associate happiness with personal achievement (vs. communal harmony), and (d) show an inflated symbolic self. In no cases were the 2 Western European groups significantly different from one another. All Western groups showed (e) an equally strong dispositional bias in attribution. Across all of the implicit indicators of independence, Japanese were substantially less independent (or more interdependent) than the three Western groups. An explicit self-belief measure of independence and interdependence showed an anomalous pattern. These data were interpreted to suggest that the contemporary American ethos has a significant root in both Western cultural heritage and a history of voluntary settlement. Further analysis offered unique support for the cultural task analysis.

Author information

Author/s: Kitayama, Shinobu (S); Park, Hyekyung (H); Sevincer, A Timur (AT); Karasawa, Mayumi (M); Uskul, Ayse K (AK);

Affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. kitayama(-atsign-)umich.edu

Grants: R01 AG029509-01A2 (Agency:NIA NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Comparative Study; Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

Journal: Journal of personality and social psychology (J Pers Soc Psychol), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2009-Aug; vol 97 (issue 2) : pp 236-55

Dates: Created 2009/07/28; Completed 2009/10/01;

PMID: 19634973, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 10/1/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Achievement Adolescent Adult Analysis of Variance Attention - physiology Cross-Cultural Comparison Cultural Characteristics Ego Emotions - physiology Europe Far East Female

Female Germany Great Britain Humans Japan Male Michigan North America Personal Autonomy Students - psychology Task Performance and Analysis Young Adult

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