Cultural Differences In Preferences Research Articles

Preferred Styles of Conflict Resolution

This study examined cultural differences in preferences for conflict resolution styles using the dual-concern model. It was found that students in a collectivistic culture (Mexico) preferred conflict resolution styles that emphasized concern for the outcomes of others (accommodation and collaboration) to a greater degree than did students from an individualistic culture (United States). Consistent with this greater display of concern for others, the Mexican students scored significantly higher than the U.S. students on scales measuring interdependence of the self. However, they also scored higher on a scale measuring the independence of the self, suggesting that independence of the self and interdependence of the self may be separate dimensions, rather than representing a continuum. Correlational findings suggested that for interpersonal conflicts, avoidance may reflect a concern for others, rather than a lack of concern for others, as postulated by the dual-concern model.

Cultural differences in preferences for shapes.

It was predicted that since there is less sexual restraint in Jamaica the sex difference in shape preference should be larger for native adult Jamaicans than Caymanian adults. Pairs of drawings of a "female" and a "male" object, depicted according to the theory of sexual symbolism, were shown to 200 subjects, who indicated which of each pair they preferred. The larger sex difference found among Jamaicans was interpreted in terms of primary sexual stimulus generalization.