Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology

Sullivan, Jeremiah J.; Suzuki, Teruhiko; Kondo, Yasumasa

doi: 10.1177/0022002186017004001pmid: N/A

In a cross-cultural experiment the research sought to identify emic theories of individual and group influences on the performance control process. Results suggested that both Japanese and American managers have a Rational Man theory of the individual in the control process. However, differences occurred in their theory of group functioning: Americans tend to see groups as helping to reduce the risk of poor performance, whereas Japanese see them as enhancing good performance.

England, George W.; Misumi, Jyuji

doi: 10.1177/0022002186017004002pmid: N/A

A concept called work centrality is developed to represent the generalized importance of working to individuals. Work centrality results for national samples of the labor force in Japan and in the United States are presented. A large difference is found between the measured work centrality levels in Japan and the United States. Several potential explanatory rationales are examined concerning this large work centrality difference.

Candell, Gregory L.; Hulin, Charles L.

doi: 10.1177/0022002186017004003pmid: N/A

High fidelity translations of measurement instruments from one language to another are required for meaningful comparisons between and within cultures and language groups. Methods from Item Response Theory (IRT) were used to assess the degree to which a French Canadian translation of the Job Descriptive Index (JDI) (Smith, Kendall, & Hulin, 1969), a job satisfaction inventory, provided measurement equivalence across source and target languages and cultures. Data were collected using the translated instrument administered to Francophone Canadians. Responses to the English version of the JDI were also obtained from (1) Francophone Canadians, (2) Anglophone Canadians, and (3) English-speaking Americans. These data allow for multiple comparisons within each item and test different hypotheses about sources of nonequivalence in the translation; the roles of language and culture in item bias are examined independently. Interpretations for the patterns of bias displayed by some items are presented.

Cashmore, Judith A.; Goodnow, Jacqueline J.

doi: 10.1177/0022002186017004004pmid: N/A

Parental values concerning -the importance of particular qualities and skills in their children vary with both social class (or socioeconomic status) and ethnic background. The aim of this study was to investigate the extent to which differences in values between parents of Anglo-Australian and Italian background in Australia are attributable to differences between the groups in socioeconomic status. The extent of the significant differences between the two groups of parents varied across areas and was differentially reduced when several indicators of socioeconomic status were taken into account. In content areas concerned with conformity (for example, neatness and obedience), the highly significant ethnic background effect virtually disappeared when mother's and father's educational levels (but not father's occupation) were taken into account. In other content areas, however, the significance of ethnic background was unaffected. These findings highlight the importance of disentangling the two sets of effects and the variability of these effects across content areas and across different measures of socioeconomic status.

Prior, Margot; Kyrios, Michael; Oberklaid, Frank

doi: 10.1177/0022002186017004005pmid: N/A

Ratings of temperament in 4-to 8-month-old infants were compared across four cultural groups (American, Chinese, Australian, and Greek-Australian)using the revised Infant Temperament Questionnaire. Significant differences were found on all dimensions, with American and Australian infants being most alike and Greek and Chinese being very different from these two groups Generally, positive or "easy" temperament profiles characterized American and Australian infants while a "difficult" profile emerged for Greek-Australian infants. Biological and cultural explanations were considered in interpretations of the obtained differences. It is concluded that there are important cultural effects on temperament ratings but that such effects are effects are complex and require more careful investigation.

Mardell-Czudnowski, Carol; Chien-Hou, Hwang; Tien-Miau, Wang

doi: 10.1177/0022002186017004006pmid: N/A

DIAL-R (Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning-Revised), a developmental test for children 2 to 6 years old, was modified minimally and translated for use in Taiwan. After it was normed on a stratified sample of 322 children in Taipei, analyses of internal consistency, construct validity, test-retest reliability, and concurrent validity all indicated that the test meets the standards of a technically adequate screening test for that culture, giving it criterion-referenced meaning. In addition, some tentative cross-cultural comparisons of young children's motoric, conceptual, and language development can be drawn. Whereras the normative data suggest that most skills develop at comparable ages in the two cultures, there are some notable exceptions, some of which develop earlier in American children, others of which develop earlier in Chinese children. These differences are discussed in context with environmental and cultural components, giving the test construct-referenced meaning.

Bhana, Kastoor; Daniels, Carol Sandra

doi: 10.1177/0022002186017004007pmid: N/A

Generational changes in the conceptualization of mental illness were investigated by means of a specially constructed scale. The sample comprised 100 subjects made up of two groups of Hindu and Muslim grandmothers (mean age 61 years) and two groups of their middle-aged daughters (mean age 41 years). The results included the following: (1) a significant generation effect and (2) the conceptualization largely in Eastern terms but an acceptance of both Eastern and Western conceptions of etiology and treatment. Possible factors influencing the results were discussed.

Eysenck, Hans J.

doi: 10.1177/0022002186017004008pmid: N/A

It is argued that criticisms of the use of indices of factor comparison to establish the identity of factors in personality inventories derived from different countries are mistaken. It is shown that on homologous scales the average indices of factor comparison between 24 countries come out at .98, whereas those of nonhomologous scales come out at .13. These values are almost identical with those obtained when males and females are compared in the same country, as far as factors for personality scales are concerned. It is concluded that it is justifiable to use the scales of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire for comparisons within and between different countries.