bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cyprus
Authors: Hadjipavlou-Trigeorgis Maria , Trigeorgis Lenos
Published: March 2007

This article presents an evolutionary cooperative approach to conflict resolution that would lower the fears and raise the hopes of parties in conflict by proceeding incrementally in phases that would allow interaction and reciprocity, learning, and flexibility (through options to expand or abandon cooperation/integration). With reference to the Cyprus conflict, although initially maintaining two separate decentralized zones, the simultaneous creation of a third, joint federated area to serve as the nucleus of a cooperative, interactive, centralized federation is proposed. A “conciliation stage” should precede a federated structure “testing” phase, before expanding and ratifying full-scale implementation contingent on successful interim cohabitation.
Comparing Prisoner's Dilemma, Commons Dilemma, and Public Goods Provision Designs in Laboratory Experiments
Authors: Goetze David
Published: March 2007

The ability to cumulate and compare findings from laboratory experiments is impeded by the wide variety of designs employed in these studies and by the different incentive characteristics embedded in those designs. This article attempts to improve potential for comparing findings by proposing variables that specify incentive features of collective action designs. For many designs as seemingly disparate as those in prisoner's dilemma, commons dilemma, and public goods provision games, these specifications should enable different designs to be represented as values along common incentive parameters. With this procedure, the influence of incentives can be assessed and controlled across disparate experimental designs as well as the cumulative influence of other variables (for example, group size and identity, framing, and socioeconomic characteristics of subjects) that provoke collective action behavior. The article also notes the limitations of this procedure and other obstacles to the meaningful cumulation of findings on collective action. The procedure may not, for example, allow easy comparison of findings from experimental designs that have disparate nonlinear returns to cost contributions.
Getting to the Core
Authors: Bottom William P. , Eavey Cheryl L. , Miller Gary J.
Published: March 2007

Important decisions are often determined by group vote. Institutional provisions may stipulate who has the authority to determine the group's agenda. According to cooperative game theory, this privilege gives the leader a great deal of power to control the outcome. In a series of experiments, the authors demonstrate the influence of norms on coalitions and decisions. Subjects were assigned to groups with two agenda setters, two issues, and concentric indifference curves. Three theories were tested: coalitional rationality, group fairness, and coalitional integrity. The pattern of coalition formation, coalition dissolution, and decisions was consistent only with coalitional integrity. The integrity norm (members will not join a coalition requiring them to vote against the interests of prior coalition members) generates friction in coalition dynamics. Clearly, when formulating an agenda, leaders must consider a potential partner's coalitional history. Theories of group decision making must be sensitive to social constraints as well as self-interest.
Peace and Democracy
Authors: Gleditsch Nils Petter , Hegre HÅvard
Published: March 2007

Peace and regime type can be examined at the dyadic, nation, and system levels. At the dyadic level, it is well established that democracies rarely if ever fight each other. At the national level, the broad consensus is that there is no significant relationship between democracy and war participation, but this conclusion remains controversial. At the system level, there has been little research; most scholars have taken for granted that the answer can be inferred from the findings at the dyadic or national levels. The authors show that, if the conventional wisdom holds at the dyadic and national levels, the probability of war in a politically mixed dyad must be higher than the probability of war between two nondemocracies, and the relationship between democracy and war at the system level must be parabolic. Thus increasing democratization initially produces more war, and the reduction of war starts only at a higher level of democratization.
Major Power Intervention in International Crises, 1918-1988
Authors: Huth Paul K.
Published: March 2007

The author tests a set of hypotheses about the conditions under which major powers intervene with military support for states that are threatened in a crisis. The hypotheses are derived from a general theoretical approach that integrates a realist framework with recent works that focus on the domestic political determinants of foreign policy. Seven of the eight hypotheses tested are supported by the results of logit analysis on major power interventions in 272 international crises from 1918 to 1988. The broad theoretical implication is that scholars drawing on realist approaches to studying international politics should think rigorously about the role of domestic politics in foreign policy decisions.
Contributions of Cross-Cultural Psychology to Research and Interventions in Education and Health
Authors: Harkness Sara , Keefer Constance H.
Published: March 2007

Cross-cultural psychology has made important contributions to research and interventions in education and health. In education, cross-cultural research includes the application of Piagetian tests cross-culturally and the discovery of cultural variability in styles of learning. Research using the constructs of individualism and collectivism has shown that a variety of cultural values and parenting styles can be related to school success, and awareness of such differences has been used to enhance the effectiveness of educational intervention. In health, cross-cultural psychology has contributed to the identification of culture-specific patterns of illness and beliefs about illness. Research has shown complicated relationships between cultural expectations of behavior and cross-cultural variability in children’s observed behavior. The role of cultural beliefs and related practices is highlighted in research on temperament. Theoretical models derived from cross-cultural research are shown to be useful in creating a framework for systematic consideration of education and health in cultural context.
Cross-Cultural Industrial and Organizational Psychology
Authors: Aycan Zeynep
Published: March 2007

This article aims at critically evaluating the theory and scope of cross-cultural industrial and organizational (I/O) research, emphasizing its past and its future. In the theory section, the author discusses the ways sociocultural context influences organizational phenomena. Also discussed are issues such as the level of theory, assumption of linearity, unilateral effect of culture on organizations, conceptualization of culture, and atheoretical nature of research. In the second section, three areas of research, which are underrepresented in cross-cultural I/O literature, are discussed: staffing, performance management, and employee health and safety. It is argued that compared to traditional research topics of cross-cultural I/O psychology (e.g., leadership, motivation, work values, etc.), these topics are more central to the field, more related to improvement of human potential and conditions at work, and better able to guide practices in various cultural contexts.
Personality and Social Group Value Determinants of Out-Group Bias
Authors: Dunbar Edward , Saiz Jose L. , Stela Karina , Saez Rene
Published: March 2007

In two separate studies out-group bias was examined in relationship to personality traits of prejudice with Gough’s Prejudice/Tolerance (Pr/To) scale and ascribed social group values. In Study 1 conducted with a Chilean sample, results of a hierarchical multiple regression revealed that perceived in-group/out-group value dissimilarity (based on the Schwartz Value Survey) and Pr/To independently predicted negative stereotyping of indigenous Chilean people (Mapuches Indians). In Study 2 findings with a U.S. Asian- Pacific sample indicated that Pr/To and ascription to filial piety predicted anti-Semitic attitudes. In both studies, Pr/To significantly improved the prediction of out-group bias after in-group social values had been accounted for in the regression model.
Culture and Social Prediction
Authors: Gelfand Michele J. , Spurlock David , Sniezek Janet A. , Shao Liang
Published: March 2007

Human behavior under uncertainty has been an important area of inquiry in social, decision making, and cognitive psychology for the past few decades. The current research examined the role of different types of information in enhancing individuals’ confidence in making social predictions in a variety of uncertain situations across cultures. Chinese and American participants were given either individuating information (e.g., accomplishments) or relational information (e.g., social groups) about a target with whom they would have to interact. They were then asked for judgments regarding the usefulness of the information, as well as estimates of their confidence in making predictions about their own and the other person’s behavior in four hypothetical situations. The results indicated that for U.S. subjects, individuating information was deemed much more useful and enhanced confidence in making social predictions, as compared with relational information. The reverse was true for the Chinese participants. Implications for the individualism-collectivism theory and cross-cultural research on social prediction are discussed.
Assessing Cross-Cultural Item Bias in Questionnaires
Authors: van Hemert Dianne A. , Baerveldt Chris , Vermande Marjolijn
Published: March 2007

A method is presented for evaluating the presence and size of cross-cultural item biases. The examined items concern parental support and family cohesion in a Likert-type questionnaire for adolescents in The Netherlands. Each evaluated item has two versions, a collectivist and an individualistic one, that measure the same theoretical construct. The standardized difference between the score means of the item versions, called the Δe score, gives an indication of the cultural bias of the item. As expected, most items were found to yield a higher Δe when respondents scored low on an individualistic scale for acculturation or originated from countries that are (more) collectivist. This procedure is recommended for use in testing items in pilot studies.
Extending the Cross-Cultural Validity of the Theory of Basic Human Values with a Different Method of Measurement
Authors: Schwartz Shalom H. , Melech Gila , Lehmann Arielle , Burgess Steven , Harris Mari , Owens Vicki
Published: March 2007

Several studies demonstrate that Schwartz’s (1992) theory of human values is valid in cultures previously beyond its range. We measured the 10 value constructs in the theory with the Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ), a new and less abstract method. Analyses in representative samples in South Africa ( n = 3,210) and Italy ( n = 5,867) and in samples of 13- to 14-year-old Ugandan girls ( n = 840) yielded structures of relations among values similar to the theoretical prototype. In an Israeli student sample ( n = 200), the values exhibited convergent and discriminant validity when measured with the PVQ and with the standard value survey. Predicted relations of value priorities with a set of 10 background, personality, attitude, and behavioral variables in the four samples supported the construct validity of the values theory with an alternative method of measurement.
Perceived Sexual Orientation and Helping Behaviour
Authors: Gabriel Ute , Beyeler Gerhard , Däniker Nora , Fey Werner , Gutweniger Karin , Lienhart Margrit , Gerber Beatrice Luder
Published: March 2007

A replication of Shaw, Borough, and Fink’s and Gore, Tobiasen, and Kayson’s nonreactive measure of homophobia is presented. In the original study (Shaw et al.), residents of Los Angeles received an apparently wrong-number telephone call from a male caller portraying himself as either homosexual or heterosexual. His car had broken down and he was out of change at a pay phone. Therefore, he asked the subject to call his boyfriend/girlfriend. Heterosexual callers received more help than homosexual callers. Gore et al. replicated this study in Westchester County, New York, and extended it to female callers revealing comparable results. The repetition presented here took place in autumn 1999 in Bern, Switzerland. The results show that the Swiss subjects are significantly more helpful than the American subjects. The perceived sexual orientation of the caller does not appear to influence the probability that help will be provided.
Reliability of Measures Assessing the Pancultural Association between Perceived Parental Acceptance-Rejection and Psychological Adjustment
Authors: Khaleque Abdul , Rohner Ronald P.
Published: March 2007

Meta-analytic procedures from 51 studies worldwide were used to assess the reliability of the two self- report measures most commonly employed to test the transcultural association between perceived parental acceptance-rejection and psychological adjustment. These measures are the (a) Child, Adult, and Parent versions of the Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire (PARQ) and (b) Child and Adult versions of the Personality Assessment Questionnaire (PAQ). Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was the primary measure of reliability used. Results of the meta-analysis support the conclusion that the PARQ is a reliable measure for research, clinical, and applied purposes among American ethnic groups and internationally. Meta-analyses also support the conclusion that the PAQ is a reliable measure for use among American ethnic groups. Insufficient evidence is yet available to draw conclusions about its reliability for widespread use in cross-cultural settings.
Personal Value Systems of Japanese Managers
Authors: England George W. , Koike Ryohji
Published: March 2007

A personal value system is viewed as a relatively permanent perceptual framework which shapes and influences the general nature of an individual's behavior. Empirical evidence about the nature of personal value systems of 394 Japanese managers and a theoretical rationale for considering the impact of values on behavior are presented. As a total group, Japanese managers' primary value orientations are pragmatic and secondarily they are morally and ethically oriented. Within these major orientations, there is a great deal of variation when one looks at the personal value system of each individual manager. Possible relationships between personal values and related organizational behavior are suggested.
Eastern and Western Religiosity
Authors: Eckhardt William
Published: March 2007

The data from a multiP-national student survey were used to compare religiosity in 6 African and Asian nations with religiosity in 9 North American, West European, and Scandinavian nations. The responses to a "religious" item were correlated with the responses to 99 other variables. It was found that Eastern and Western religiosity shared about 80% of their correlates with each other, so that they were about 80% similar to each other. The shared variables included personal conformity vs. independence, value placed upon the traditional family, religious affiliation, value placed upon private property, nationalism, racialism, opposition to marijuana, and future orientation.
Classificatory Ability and Verbal Intelligence among High-Contact Aboriginal and Low Socioeconomic White Australian Children
Authors: de Lacey P. R.
Published: March 2007

Two tests of classificatory ability based on Piaget's theory of cognitive development, and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT), were administered to 40 full-blood urban Aboriginal children in the Northern Territory of Australia. The PPVT was also given to 80 white urban children of similar low-socioeconomic status. A trend in an earlier study for high-contact Aboriginals to perform on classification tests at about the same level as white children in a similar environment was confirmed, despite the markedly lower verbal IQ scores of Aboriginal children.
Application of the D 48 Test of General Intellectual Ability in Turkey
Authors: Kagit(;Iba;I Cigdem
Published: March 2007

The D 48 test was given to 100 6th and 7th grade students in Turkey. The results showed that: (a) the test had high predictive validity in Turkey, with school achievement over three years used as the criterion; (b) Turkish sigmas were similar to those obtained from similar age groups in other countries whereas Turkish means were lower, due probably to a lack of test sophistication; (c) test item difficulties were rather constant for different age groups and for testing in different countries. The advantages of the D 48 were discussed, namely, its high saturation with "g, " its easy administration and scoring, its non-verbal nature and its cross-cultural applicability due to the fact that by using widely known stimuli, it attempts to equalize experience.
Cognitive Styles of Children of Three Ethnic Groups in the United States
Authors: Ramirez Manuel , Price-Williams Douglass R.
Published: March 2007

Children of three subcultural groups in the United States-Anglos, Blacks, and Mexican-Americans-were tested with the Portable Rod and Frame Test. The results showed that Black and Mexican-American children, and females in all three groups, scored in a significantly more field-dependent direction than Anglo children. The results confirmed previous findings that members of groups which emphasize respect for family and religious authority and group identity and which are characterized by shared-function family and friendship groups tend to be field-dependent in cognitive style. Members of groups which encourage questioning of convention and an individual identity and are characterized by formally organized family and friendship groups, on the other hand, tend to be more field-independent.
Prophecy Continues to Fail
Authors: Sanada Takaaki , Norbeck Edward
Published: March 2007

This paper describes a Japanese sect headed by a prophet-founder and the reactions of both its members and the prophet when an earthquake prophesied by him in 1974 failed to materialize. The prophet unsuccessfully attempted to commit suicide and later disbanded the sect. The Japanese circumstances are compared with accounts of similar cases of unfulfilled prophecies in the United States which are reported to have led to greater faith among the prophets' followers, a reaction that has been interpreted on the basis of a theory of cognitive dissonance. Similarities and differences in the Japanese and U.S. cases are noted and suggestions are made for adapting the original formulation of interpretive theory for application to non-U.S. cases and general cross-cultural use.
Perceived Trustworthiness of Occupations
Authors: Chun Ki-Taek , Campbell John B. , Yoo Jong-Hae
Published: March 2007

The present study examines the perceived trustworthiness of nineteen selected occupations based on U.S. and Korean student samples. Specifically, it compares the rating and ranking methods of assessing trustworthiness, examines the possibility of sex and culture differences, and evaluates the effects of subjects' levels of trustfulness. The relative trustworthiness of the nineteen occupations was highly similar across rating and ranking methods, sex, culture, and level of trustfulness. However, there was a significant relationship between level of trustfulness and level of perceived trustworthiness. Implications of these findings for future work on trustworthiness, and for survey research in general, are discussed.
Verbal and Behavioral Aspects of Commitment among Arabs and Jews
Authors: Amir Yehuda , Haliva Yehoshua , Sagie Ditza
Published: March 2007

Attitudes of Arabs and Jews in the Middle East with regard to dependability of either group suggest that the negative picture of one group about the other is similar to that of the second group about the first one. Are these attitudes based on valid group differences or do they reflect prejudice and stereotyped perceptions? Ethnographic studies suggest possible real differences in commitment behavior between the two groups. The present study examined verbal and behavioral aspects of commitment with 125 Jewish and Arab eighth-graders as the subjects. The results reveal no basic group differences, although specific differences were found depending on particular situations and persons involved.
Culture and Memory Revisited
Authors: Pollnac Richard B. , Jahn Gretchen
Published: March 2007

The free recall of words among several samples of Baganda schoolchildren are examined in light of recent studies conducted in Africa and elsewhere. Quantitative and qualitative differences in free recall within a specific age-education group suggest that there is interschool variability in some component of the educational process related to memory skills. It is thus suggested that years of education must be more carefully defined in cross-cultural studies of cognition.
The Causal Relation between War and Scientific Discovery
Authors: Simonton Dean Keith
Published: March 2007

Using cross-lagged correlation analyses as the basis for causal inference, the relationship between war and scientific discovery and invention was explored in seven European nations. Measures of war duration and scientific productivity were generated using 14 or 16 quarter-century periods, or "generations," as the unit of analysis within each nation. The analyses indicated statistically significant associations for England and Russia (war encouraging science in the next generation), Spain (war discouraging science in the next generation), Holland (science discouraging war in the next generation), and France (war and science correlating positively in the same generation), whereas Germany and Italy exhibited no significant relationships. Discussion of the causal inconsistencies led to the suggestion that future research separately analyze different scientific disciplines and their respective relations to various categories of war.
Self-Evaluation
Authors: Aboud Frances E.
Published: March 2007

Ethnic minority and majority students in the United States were given the opportunity to receive score information about their own and about the other ethnic group, after they themselves had taken a test. Young majority white children generally chose to look at other whites' scores. A large portion of young Chicanos also -sought white score information, or sought Chicanos who had performed better and whites who had performed worse than they. This group-enhancement strategy was also prevalent among college blacks. Ethnic information seeking was discussed in terms of three strategies-seeking in-group information, seeking out-group information, and seeking group-enhancement information-and the differential use of these strategies by minority and majority students.
Attitudes of Hong Kong Bilinguals toward English and Chinese Speakers
Authors: Lyczak Richard , Fu Gail Schaefer , Ho Audrey
Published: March 2007

Bilingual Hong Kong Chinese university students were asked to evaluate the taped voices of Chinese and English speakers on 13 traits. Subjects were unaware that speakers were actually bilinguals speaking once in each language. Chinese guises of the speakers were rated more favorably on seven traits and English guises on four traits. Factor analysis of ratings revealed two major factors, one consisting of traits related to character, and the other of traits related to success. Chinese guises were favored on the former and English guises on the latter.
Three Social Motives and Field Independence-Dependence in Anglo American and Mexican American Children
Authors: Sanders Mary , Scholz James P. , Kagan Spencer
Published: March 2007

Previous research has indicated that Mexican American children have higher n Affiliation and are more field dependent than Anglo American children, who are more field independent and tend to have higher n Achievement. The present study examines n Achievement, n Affiliation, n Power, and field independence-field dependence among Anglo and Mexican American children. As predicted, Anglo American children were significantly more field independent, higher on n Achievement, and tended to be higher on n Power; Mexican American children tended to be higher on n Affiliation. Contrary to predictions, field independence-dependence was not related to n Affiliation or n Power; only the predicted positive relationship between field independence and n Achievement was confirmed. Results are inconsistent with some previous conclusions that field dependence is related to the greater n Affiliation of Mexican American compared to Anglo American children.
The Influence of Social Heterogeneity and Sentimental Credibility on Moral Judgments of Nigerian Muslim Adolescents
Authors: Maqsud Muhammad
Published: March 2007

Two studies were carried out to investigate the effects of social heterogeneity and sentimental credibility on moral judgments of Nigerian Muslim secondary school boys. The first study was aimed at investigating the role of social heterogeneity in generating and resolving moral conflicts. Two groups of Nigerian Hausa boys were randomly selected from two secondary schools, one heterogeneous and the other homogeneous in terms of school population. When moral judgments of the two groups were compared, the boys who came from the heterogeneous school population were significantly more advanced in moral maturity than those who were exposed to the more homogeneous school population. The second study was designed to investigate the effects of sentimental familiarity with the names of actors on generalization of moral reasoning in Kohlberg-type hypothetical moral dilemmas. It was found that Nigerian Muslim children tend to generalize more conveniently the moral reasoning if actors in a hypothetical moral situation bear Muslim names.
Locus of Control Beliefs in Male and Female Indian and White Schoolchildren in South Africa
Authors: Barling Julian , Fincham Frank
Published: March 2007

The present study investigated locus of control differences in male and female Indian and White third-grade children in South Africa. Using the Nowicki-Strickland locus of control scale for children as the dependent variable, a 2 x 2 (Race x Sex) analysis of variance revealed no significant differences on a global locus of control index. However, Indian children were significantly more internal than their White counterparts on both the Helplessness and Achievement factors, although no significant differences were yielded on the Luck factor. In addition, neither significant sex main effects nor any interaction effects emerged on any of the three factors. Differences between the two cultural groups are discussed in terms of their relative positions in South African society, and the possible utility of a multidimensional approach to locus of control in cross-cultural research is evaluated.
Wolof "Magical Thinking"
Authors: Irvine Judith T.
Published: March 2007

This paper examines the study of conservation among the Wolof of Senegal as illustrative of methodological problems in cross-cultural Piagetian research. Experiments carried out by Greenfield are compared with more recent investigations conducted in the same area of Senegal. The results suggest that cultural conventions governing the organization of talk are more likely to explain the responses of unschooled Wolof than is "magical thinking."
Nonverbal Disclosure of Deception in Urban Koreans
Authors: Feldman Robert S.
Published: March 2007

The nature of nonverbal disclosure of deception was experimentally examined. Stimulus persons, who were led to be verbally truthful or deceptive, were 28 male and female urban Koreans in three age groups: first graders, seventh graders, and college-age students. They were secretly videotaped, and their nonverbal facial expressions were analyzed by adult Korean judges. Results showed that all stimulus persons, except the female seventh graders, were able to be successfully deceptive nonverbally. However, the nature of the successful deception varied according to the age and sex of the stimulus person. The female college students were the most successful at recreating a veridical response, while the first grade females and all the males appeared more pleased when being deceptive than when being truthful.
On the Teaching of Cross-Cultural Psychology
Authors: Segall Marshall H.
Published: March 2007

Challenges and opportunities confront cross-cultural researchers who would inject a global perspective into undergraduate curricula. Changing student populations, revived interest in moral issues, the sociobiology renaissance, and enhanced resources for disseminating the products of cross-cultural psychology combine to place the field potentially at the heart of the undergraduate teaching enterprise.
Internal-External Locus of Control and Word Association
Authors: Evans H. Mark
Published: March 2007

Internal-external (I-E) locus of control responses and patterns of word association responses were examined among Japanese and American students. Except for research conducted in Japan, use of word associations to augment I-E studies has not been reported previously. Word associations were used to assess the phenomenological dimension of the experiential locus. This was conceived as the culture-based linguistic tendency of individuals to represent experiences to themselves in terms of internally or externally referent descriptors. Japanese students gave significantly more external referent word association responses and scored significantly more external on the Rotter I-E scale. Several earlier studies have focused on conceptual subdimensions of the I-E scale (e.g., luck versus fate, powerful others, and the like) in order to facilitate interpretation of culturally different I-E response patterns. The present research, rather than addressing such conceptual subdimensions, sought to place culturally different I-E responses in context by examining superordinate or background cultural-linguistic characteristics via word associations.
"Perceptual Speed" and Cognitive Controls
Authors: Irvine S. H. , Reuning H.
Published: March 2007

Derived from cognitive psychology, a theoretical approach to group test construction resulted in the production of simple cognitive tasks suitable for use with literate subjects. Group performance was modified by the encoding demands of different stimulus properties. Performance was also affected by giving instructions to subjects that altered deep structure attentional controls on encoding propositions about the stimuli. Individual differences in performance on the tasks were substantial. The model for individual and group performance is additive, and it appears robust within individuals as well as across groups representing "idealized" individuals. Confirmatory replications were obtained across cultures, developmental stages, in long- and short-term work periods, and across symbol types. These are summarized. In the discussion the authors conclude that cognitive theory must be the basis for future test development. They assert, finally, that comparative assessment of cognitive functions within or across cultures cannot proceed until tests and scores derived from them are capable of construct validation outside the scope of traditional psychometric methods.
Practical Arithmetic and Transfer
Authors: Petitto Andrea L.
Published: March 2007

Transfer of mathematical problem-solving ability was studied among adult unschooled cloth merchants and tailors in West Africa. The purpose was to examine the role of familiarity of problem components and of the overall problem form. Experimental tasks tested arithmetic ability, measurement facts, and ability to solve variations of typical cloth-selling arithmetic problems. Results showed cloth merchants and tailors to be equivalent in basic arithmetic and measurement skills but that cloth merchants were better able to organize these skills to effectively solve price problems with both familiar and unusual materials. Using unfamiliar numerical content interfered with the ability to execute component arithmetic operations for both professional groups.
Individual Learning Style
Authors: Katz Noomi
Published: March 2007

The Learning Style Inventory developed by David Kolb (1976) is designed to measure the degree to which individuals utilize one of four learning styles. Kolb provides a model of learning as a four-stage cycle-from concrete experience to reflective observation, through abstract conceptualization and active experimentation (Kolb, 1976, 1984). This study was undertaken to determine Israeli norms and the reliability and validity of a Hebrew version of the inventory, as well as the cross-cultural equivalence of the instrument. Results from 821 subjects indicated that the Hebrew version was as reliable as the original English version. The Hebrew version differentiated among students' major study areas in accordance with the theory, and demonstrated moderate internal consistency coefficients similar to the U.S. data. Construct validity was established using factor analysis and Guttman's smallest space analysis, which verified the underlying structure of the model. The study demonstrated initial cross-cultural reliability and validity of the Learning Style Inventory instrument, allowing for its utilization in further research of individual learning styles.
The Effects of Status Configuration and Counseling Style on Korean Perspectives of Counseling
Authors: Foley John B. , Fuqua Dale R.
Published: March 2007

This study was designed to examine the effects of two independent variables on Koreans' perceptions of counseling performance. The first independent variable, counseling style, consisted of having subjects rate the performance of either a directive or a nondirective counselor. The second independent variable was status configuration, which also consisted of two levels: congruent status (an older counselor interacting with a younger client) and incongruent status (a younger counselor interacting with an older client). Subjects were asked to rate the counselors' performance on two measures of counseling performance, which served as the dependent variables for the study. The resulting 2 x 2 completely randomized multivariate analysis revealed a significant effect only for counseling style. This finding is generally consistent with other related studies and suggests that some traditional approaches to counseling and psychotherapy may need to be modified when working with Korean clients. The nonsignificant finding for status configuration is not conclusive. The use of written rather than live stimulus situations and/or prior exposure to American culture may account, at least in part, for this result. Further research on the status configuration effect is therefore recommended.
Teachers' Evaluative Behavior
Authors: Salili Farideh , Hwang Chi-En , Choi Nam F.
Published: March 2007

Two experiments explored the informational value of teachers' verbal evaluative comments on perception of ability and effort among Chinese students in Hong Kong. Subjects were asked to rate the teacher's perception of ability and effort of one(Experiment 1) or two (Experiment 2) students with identical performance in a hypothetical situation under conditions that varied in (1) the performance outcome,(2) level of difficulty of the task, and (3) the teacher's evaluative comments. The results of this study do not support the findings of a German study by Meyer et al.(1979) on perceived ability. However, the findings of Meyer et al. on perceived effort received support. The results are discussed within the framework of teacher-student interaction in Hong Kong.
Pupil Occupancy Time in Classroom Settings Across Cultures
Authors: Scott M. M.
Published: March 2007

Two primary purposes of this study were (1) to explore the conceptual and theoretical relationship between the concept of culture and that of behavior settings as described by Barker and (2) to demonstrate the applicability of ecological methods to the study of behavior cross-culturally. In this exploratory investigation, third-grade classes were studied from Apache, Papago, and Anglo groups varying along a dimension of cultural distinctiveness. Analysis of segment logs (natural habitat records of full days of classroom behavior)showed many more behavioral similarities at the molar level among the three groups than differences. Several possible interpretations of these findings are explored. Cultural differences unquestionably influenced third-grade behavior, but at molecular and global levels. Comparisons with a study done 20 years ago showed substantial stability of third-grade classroom behavior, with some shifts in teacher leadership patterns. Methodological implications are also
Mental Abilities of Children from Different Cultural Backgrounds in Israel
Authors: Burg Blanka , Belmont Ira
Published: March 2007

The present study examined the pattern of mental abilities, as demonstrated on tests of verbal, reasoning, number, and spatial skills, exhibited by 320 first-grade, Israeli-born children whose parents emigrated from Europe, Iraq, North Africa, and Yemen. The results showed that the four groups of culturally different children tended to exhibit four different patterns of cognitive abilities. The findings clarify those of Lesser, Fifer, and Clark (1965), who found that children in New York City of Jewish, Chinese, Afro-American, and Puerto Rican backgrounds differed in pattern of mental abilities, but left open the question of whether there was a single pattern characteristic of all Jewish children (or of any other cultural group). It was concluded that the historical-cultural background of a Jewish, or other, population has a significant effect on pattern of mental abilities.
Collectivism-Individualism in Perceptions of Speech Rate
Authors: Lee Hyun O. , Boster Franklin J.
Published: March 2007

A cross-cultural comparison was made to investigate the relative effects of speech rate in Korea and the United States for perceptions of the speaker's credibility. Employing a three-way factorial design (Speech Rate x Speaker Gender x Culture Type), this study found that rapid delivery can be used as an effective means of enhancing one's credibility in the United States and that this principle can be generalized to Korean female speakers. On the other hand, slow delivery is more effective in increasing the credibility of Korean male speakers. Moreover, regardless of culture type, the data indicate no main effect of the speaker's gender on credibility, except for perceptions of the speaker's competence.
Intuitive Parenting Programs in German, American, and Greek Parents of 3-Month-Old Infants
Authors: Keller Heidi , Chasiotis Athanasios , Runde Bernd
Published: March 2007

Components of the concept of intuitive parenting were analyzed in three cultural samples (West Germans, Americans, and Greeks). The three cultures selected were representing different rearing environments of infants (West Germany and United States: nuclear family; Greece: extended family), but similar geographical conditions (Utah, W. Germany, Northern Greece) and political and economic orientations. As behavioral manifestations of intuitive parenting, latencies of parental verbal/vocal and nonvocal behaviors toward infants' facial and vocal expressions were investigated. The interactional situations between parents and their 3-month-old firstborn infants were videotaped. The results illustrate general parenting programs that are not culturally specific. Quantitative cultural differences were found in the use of verbal behavioral modalities.
Attitudes toward Cancer
Authors: Domino George , Regmi Murari Prasad
Published: March 2007

The Cancer Metaphors Test, a measure designed to assess the imagery of cancer, was administered to samples of Nepalese (n = 228) and U.S. (n = 184) graduate students. For both samples, no significant age, gender, or field of study differences were obtained, but Nepalese students scored higher than U.S. students on both Terminal Pessimism and Future Optimism. Within each sample, scores on pessimism were higher than scores on optimism. An analysis of the individual metaphors suggested some differences but also substantial commonality of endorsement.
Happiness
Authors: Chiasson Nicole , Dube Lise , Blondin Jean-Pierre
Published: March 2007

This cross-cultural study explored the perceptions of people about what can make a person happy. A total of 215 students answered one of three open-ended questions: from Canada, French-speakers (n = 57) and English-speakers (n = 54), from El Salvador (n = 42), and from the United States (n = 62). Content and correspondence analyses revealed that factors contributing to happiness were perceived similarly across the four groups. The most stated factors overall were the importance of family relationships, of pursuing and reaching valued goals, and of a positive attitude toward self. On the other hand, whereas the Salvadoran participants referred specifically to religious values and sociopolitical conditions, the North American samples referred more to hedonistic factors (enjoying activities and life's little pleasures) and personal sources of power on their happiness (positive attitude toward life, personal strengths). Cross-cultural differences are discussed in relation to collectivism and individualism.
Achievement Goals and their Correlates among American and Chinese Students in Physical Education
Authors: Xiang Ping , Lee Amelia M. , Solmon Melinda A.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this study was to examine achievement goals and their correlates in physical education from a cross-cultural perspective. One hundred and eighty Chinese students and 121 Anglo-American students in fourth, fifth, and sixth grades completed questionnaires assessing their goal orientations, perceived ability, task choice, and satisfaction in physical education. Analyses indicated that the same two-dimensional factor structure of goal orientation, namely, task and ego orientation, cut across the two cultural groups in physical education. Cultural variations were found for the relationships between achievement goals and related motivational variables. The findings suggest that factorial structure of achievement goal holds cross-culturally, whereas the relationships vary as a function of cultural background of students.
No Gender Difference in Spatial Representation by Schoolchildren in Northwest Pakistan
Authors: Pontius Anneliese A.
Published: March 2007

Results from two spatial tasks (Kohs block design and draw-a-person-with-face-in-front)support previously documented ecocultural findings with Stone-Age culture Auca Indians and challenge a basic Western assumption of gender differences in spatial tasks that favor males. Twenty-four male and 24 female schoolchildren (ages 8 to 10) in northwest Pakistan performed both spatial tasks without showing essential gender differences. Of the girls and boys, 44.4% and 63.6%, respectively, constructed Kohs blocks correctly. Of the girls and boys, 60.8% and 47.9%, respectively, produced similar schematized neolithic-type face patterns when asked to draw a face. These findings of similar spatial representation abilities and preferences in boys and girls are even more striking when considered within the context of an Islamic cultural tradition, which had, in the past, neglected women's education, also preserved traditional women's tasks.
Silence in Japan and the United States
Authors: Hasegawa Tomohiro , Gudykunst William B.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this study was to examine the use of and attitudes toward silence in Japan and the United States. Five factors emerged in a first-order decultured factor analysis: (a) use of silence to avoid communicating, (b) negative view of silence, (c) strategic use of silence, (d) others' silence creates uncertainty, and (e) positive view of talking. Two dimensions were obtained in a second-order factor analysis: (a) negative view of silence and (b) strategic use of silence. Japanese reported a more negative view of silence when communicating with strangers than when communicating with close friends, but Americans did not. There also was a difference in negative view of silence between Americans and Japanese when communicating with strangers but not when communicating with close friends. Americans reported more strategic use of silence than did Japanese. Respondents also reported strategically using silence with strangers more than with close friends.
A Comparison of the Child-Rearing Goals of Russian and U.S. University Students
Authors: Williams Dannon , Ispa Jean M.
Published: March 2007

Russian and U.S. university students rated the importance of four child-rearing goals. Compared to U.S. students, Russian students placed lower value on rule conformity and higher value on peer orientation and neatness/cleanliness. Russian students rated inquisitiveness as most important, peer orientation as second, neatness/cleanliness as third, and rule conformity as least important. U.S. students also rated inquisitiveness as most important but rated rule conformity and peer orientation equally as second and neatness/cleanliness as least important.
The Relationship between Self-Esteem and Parenting Style
Authors: Herz Lara , Gullone Eleonora
Published: March 2007

Within Western cultures, self-esteem consistently has been demonstrated to be inversely related with parenting styles characterized by low levels of acceptance and high levels of overprotection (i.e., affectionless control). Although in traditional collectivist cultures there may be a preference for this parenting style, within a strong collectivist framework it is not thought to have a negative impact on self-esteem. However, for immigrant adolescents, the cultural context of collectivism may no longer support such a parenting style as adaptive, particularly because they tend to acculturate more quickly than their parents. To investigate this proposal, 118 Vietnamese Australian and 120 Anglo-Australian adolescents, aged 11 to 18 years, were recruited. They were administered the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory; the Parental Bonding Instrument, an acculturation measure; and two subscales of Eysenck’s Personality Questionnaire. As expected, parenting characterized by high levels of overprotection and low levels of acceptance related negatively with self-esteem for both samples of adolescents.
Transforming Our Legacies: Heroic Journeys for Children of Holocaust Survivors and Nazi Perpetrators
Authors: Rothschild Mary H.
Published: March 2007

This is the personal account of an extraordinary encounter between children of Holocaust survivors and descendants of Nazi perpetrators, a journey that transformed two groups of people separated by an abyss of 6 million dead into a community. Bound and divided by the same tragic moment in history, 14 people discovered the miracle of healing through honest dialogue. Together they cried for their losses and discovered that the truth, however brutal, can set one free. In doing so, they moved from despair to hope and changed their relationship to a tragic history. The encounter brought the two groups into the presence of the horrors of the Holocaust and taught them about a new paradigm of relating that can be turned into knowledge for the next generation. The author learned that healing at a soul level becomes possible in the retelling of one’s tale and having it heard with compassion.
Consuming the Earth: Eating Disorders and Ecopsychology
Authors: Riebel Linda
Published: March 2007

Eating disorders, which involve the misuse of vast quantities of food by millions of people, are described as a direct threat to the environment. Eating disorders are also suggested as a metaphor for the psychopathology underlying our environmental crisis. In this article, the scope of the problem, its psychological and economic roots, its similarity to the environmental crisis in general, and possible solutions are described.