Human values,legal regulation,and approval of homosexuality in Europe: A cross‐country comparison

Although research has revealed a trend toward liberalization of attitudes toward homosexuality in Western countries, acceptance of homosexuality differs remarkably among individuals and across countries. We examine the roles of individual value priorities and of national laws regarding homosexuality and the interaction between them in explaining approval of homosexuality. Data are drawn from the European Social Survey and include representative national samples of 27 European countries in 2010. As hypothesized, individuals who prioritized openness to change and universalism values approved of homosexuality more, whereas those who prioritized conservation and power values exhibited more disapproval. Approval was greater in countries whose laws regarding homosexuality were more progressive. In addition, legal regulation of homosexuality moderated the associations of individual value priorities. In countries with more progressive laws, both the positive effect of openness to change values and the negative effect of conservation values on approval of homosexuality were weaker. However, the positive effect of universalism values and the negative effect of power values did not vary as a function of national laws regarding homosexuality. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Relational motivation and well‐being: A cross‐cultural comparison

Culture plays a crucial role in motivation. Personally autonomous reasons (PARs) for goals reflect the needs, desires, and commitment for oneself, whereas relationally autonomous reasons (RARs) for goals reflect the needs within close relationships. It was hypothesized that PARs are the better predictor of well‐being for Americans, while RARs are the better predictor of well‐being for Japanese. One‐hundred and seventy American and 219 Japanese university students completed well‐being questionnaires and rated seven goals on several attributes. The results confirmed that RARs were a better predictor of well‐being for Japanese than for Americans, but PARs predicted well‐being for both groups. Implications for theories of goal motivation are discussed.     

Assessing functions of stimuli associated with rich‐to‐lean transitions using a choice procedure

Under fixed‐ratio schedules, transitions from more to less favorable conditions of reinforcement (rich‐to‐lean transitions) usually generate extended pausing. One possible explanation for this effect is that stimuli associated with rich‐to‐lean transitions are aversive and, thus, extended pausing functions as escape. The purpose of this study was to characterize further the aversive function of different transitions, and the stimuli associated with them, by allowing pigeons to choose to complete select ratios in the presence of either a mixed‐schedule stimulus or a transition‐specific multiple‐schedule stimulus. The mixed schedule was preferred during transitions that signaled an upcoming lean reinforcer (rich‐to‐lean and lean‐to‐lean), whereas the multiple schedule was preferred during transitions that signaled an upcoming rich reinforcer (lean‐to‐rich and rich‐to‐rich). These findings support the notion that stimuli associated with rich‐to‐lean (and to some extent lean‐to‐lean) transitions can function aversively; whereas stimuli associated with other transitions (e.g., lean‐to‐rich and rich‐to‐rich) can function as conditioned reinforcers. When the opportunity to choose between schedule‐correlated stimuli was available, however, choice latency was controlled exclusively by the multiple‐schedule stimulus. That is, the opportunity to select the mixed schedule did not attenuate rich‐to‐lean pauses, suggesting that extended pausing may be more than simply escape.     

Suppressing feelings: A double‐edged sword to consumer judgment and choice

Consumers may suppress their feelings toward the attractive looks of products when they wish to minimize the influence of feelings on their judgments and choices. However, this research suggests that feeling suppression may result in a paradoxical reliance on feelings in product judgments and choices, especially when the product performance judgment is difficult to make. Findings from a series of experiments suggest that this paradoxical effect stems from the requisite resource input for feeling suppression and the consequent resource competition with functionality processing which then impairs product performance judgment.     

Categorical effects in children's colour search: A cross‐linguistic comparison

In adults, visual search for a colour target is facilitated if the target and distractors fall in different colour categories (e.g. Daoutis, Pilling, & Davies, in press ). The present study explored category effects in children's colour search. The relationship between linguistic colour categories and perceptual categories was addressed by comparing native speakers of languages differing in the number of colour terms. Experiment 1 compared English and Kwanyama (Namibian) children aged 4 to 7 years on a visual search task, using target‐distractor pairs (blue‐green, blue‐purple, red‐pink) for which the Kwanyama did not have distinct names. The presence of a category advantage in the English, but not in the Kwanyama, suggested that linguistic boundaries may affect search performance. Experiment 2 examined visual search performance in the green‐yellow and the blue‐green region, in English and Himba (Namibian) 6‐year‐olds. The number of distractors was varied to assess search efficiency. Cross‐category search was more efficient than within‐category search in the English group, but this advantage was absent in the Himba. Increasing the number of distractors affected search speed in the English group, but not in the Himba. Overall, these findings suggest cross‐language differences in categorical effects on colour search, but also in the way the children performed the search. The nature of the category effect in search is discussed with respect to these findings.     

Between enthusiasm and refusal: A cluster analysis on consumer types and attitudes towards peer‐to‐peer sharing

The rise of peer‐to‐peer platforms for sharing private resources has introduced new possibilities for access beyond ownership. Although experiencing fast growth, the academic literature has only recently begun to study individual user attitudes towards such new forms of consumption. Building on findings on the underlying consumer motives for peer‐to‐peer sharing, this study differentiates prototypical consumers by means of cluster analysis. Based on data from a large‐scale online survey (n = 745) on consumer motives, we identify 5 main dimensions (concerns, benefits, product‐specific aspects, social aspects, and ownership‐related aspects). On these grounds, we identify 4 consumer types with distinct demographic and attitudinal characteristics: Social Enthusiasts, Conflicted Materialists, Skeptic Ascetics, and Individualistic Refuseniks. Based on these clusters' differences with regard to demographics and sharing behaviors, we derive implications for practitioners to tailor their business models and marketing strategies to the specific motivational patterns of the respective user groups.     

A cross‐national examination of consumer perceived risk in the context of non‐deceptive counterfeit brands

• This study investigates the relationships between six identified dimensions of perceived risk and the overall risk, and also their explanatory power to the overall risk when purchasing counterfeit brands in two different contexts. Using a self‐administered instrument, a total of 525 responses were collected, 230 from the UK and 295 from China. The results support the hypothesised significant interrelationship between the dimensions of perceived risk in both contexts. However there are some differences. The models have a different exploratory power, with the one based on the British sample being stronger, while a somewhat different combination of the risk dimensions seems to predict the overall risk in each context. The psychological risk is the only dimension of risk that with no doubt contributes to the formation of the overall risk in both contexts. Although one could argue that when purchasing counterfeits social risk could be an issue, the evidence reported in this study does not support the view.

Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Addressing the cross‐country applicability of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB): A structured review of multi‐country TPB studies

The theories of reasoned action and planned behaviour (TRA/TPB) have received substantial research interest from consumer behaviourists. One important area of interest that has not been adequately researched concerns the impact of national culture on the TRA/TPB components and interrelationships. To date, no systematic assessment of the impact of culture on the TRA/TPB model relationships has been undertaken. In order to understand the potential impact of culture on the TRA/TPB model relationships, a structured review of TRA/TPB studies is undertaken. Studies that have quantitatively applied the TRA/TPB across at least two countries within a consumption domain since 2000 are reviewed. The authors propose that two of Hofstede's cultural dimensions, individualism and power distance, may moderate the TRA/TPB relationships. The review highlights that the impact of subjective norm on intention varies most across countries, with the relationship between intention and both attitude and perceived behavioural control operating more similarly across country samples. Further, a systematic assessment of variation in the TRA/TPB model relationships via multilevel modelling shows that only the subjective norm–intention relationship varies across the countries studied. The relationship between subjective norm and intention is found to be influenced by power distance, with a stronger relationship evident in high power distance cultures. This review is the first of its kind and is of significance in addressing the emic versus etic nature of the TRA/TPB. Importantly, the article outlines relevant avenues and recommendations for future cross‐national research utilizing the TRA/TPB. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Challenging socioeconomic status: A cross‐cultural comparison of early executive function

The widely and internationally replicated socioeconomic status (SES) gradient of executive function (EF) implies that intervention approaches may do well to extrapolate conditions and practices from contexts that generate better child outcomes (in this case, higher SES circumstances) and translate these to contexts with comparatively poorer outcomes (often low‐SES populations). Yet, can the reverse also be true? Using data from equivalent assessments of 1,092 pre‐schoolers’ EFs in South Africa and Australia, we evaluated: the SES gradient of EF within each sample; and whether this SES gradient extended cross‐culturally. The oft‐found EF‐SES gradients were replicated in both samples. However, contrary to the inferences of EF‐SES associations found nationally, the most highly disadvantaged South African subsample outperformed middle‐ and high‐SES Australian pre‐schoolers on two of three EFs. This suggests the possibility of EF‐protective and ‐promotive practices within low‐ and middle‐income countries that may aid understandings of the nature and promotion of EFs.     

Collaborative competence,social capital,and mental health: A cross‐sectional analysis of a community‐based intervention for older adults

Social capital interventions for the mental health of older adults have been inconclusive to date, and have rarely investigated the psychological resources that are important to having social capital. This study focused on the “Neighborhoods in Solidarity” (NS), which are a series of Swiss community‐based interventions that aim to empower older adults to participate in their communities. Our goal was to understand whether the NS were associated with collaborative competence, social capital, and subsequently, symptoms of depression. Cross‐sectional data were collected from 947 individuals aged 55 and over (M_age = 68.66, SD = 9.04) in 10 Swiss neighbourhoods (five with the NS [n = 479] and five control neighbourhoods [n = 468]). Structural equation modelling was used to model the relationship between the NS intervention, collaborative competence, cognitive and structural dimensions of social capital, and symptoms of depression (measured by the CESD‐R‐10). Individual participation in the NS had total and indirect effects on symptoms of depression via collaborative competence and both social capitals. These findings suggest that existing community‐based interventions can be indirectly associated with better mental health outcomes in the ageing population.     

Maternal expectations about infant development of pre‐term and full‐term infants: a cross‐national comparison

In three European regions (The Netherlands, Northern Italy and Southern Italy) we investigated whether mothers of healthy pre‐term infants (n=92) adjust their expectations for the timing of developmental milestones in the first years of life as compared to mothers of full‐term infants (n=140). We examined whether these adjustments could be seen as reflecting a pessimistic view, as would be predicted from the ‘prematurity stereotype’ perspective. Partial corrections for prematurity were regularly made, but no indications were found for an overly pessimistic view. Moreover, the differences between the regions in the anticipated timing of mastery of milestones were larger than the effects of prematurity. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Gender‐role egalitarianism predicts desirable traits of potential marriage partners: A cross‐cultural comparison

We examined whether gender‐role egalitarianism predicted participants' rank‐order preferences for traits in potential marriage partners of the opposite sex, and whether gender‐role egalitarianism mediated cultural differences between participants from North America, Polynesia and East Asia. Participants completed the Sex‐Role Egalitarianism Scale and ranked the following traits in terms of their importance in choosing a potential marriage partner: kindness, physical attractiveness, social level, athleticism, creativity and liveliness. Parallel analyses for male and female participants reveal that traditional males value physical attractiveness more than egalitarian males, and that traditional females value social level more and kindness less than egalitarian females. Gender‐role egalitarianism fully mediated the effect of culture on kindness rankings, but no others. These results expand upon previous findings by accounting for individual differences regarding beliefs about traditional gender roles.     

The circle of life: A cross‐cultural comparison of children's attribution of life‐cycle traits

Do children attribute mortality and other life‐cycle traits to all minded beings? The present study examined whether culture influences young children's ability to conceptualize and differentiate human beings from supernatural beings (such as God) in terms of life‐cycle traits. Three‐to‐5‐year‐old Israeli and British children were questioned whether their mother, a friend, and God would be subject to various life‐cycle processes: Birth, death, ageing, existence/longevity, and parentage. Children did not anthropomorphize but differentiated among human and supernatural beings, attributing life‐cycle traits to humans, but not to God. Although 3‐year‐olds differentiated significantly among agents, 5‐year‐olds attributed correct life‐cycle traits more consistently than younger children. The results also indicated some cross‐cultural variation in these attributions. Implications for biological conceptual development are discussed.     

Effects of perceived social support and family demands on college students' mental well‐being: A cross‐cultural investigation

The effects of perceived social support and family demands on college students' mental well‐being (perceived stress and depression) were assessed in 2 samples of Jordanian and Turkish college students. Statistically significant negative correlations were found between perceived support and mental well‐being. Multiple regression analyses showed that perceived family support was a better predictor of mental well‐being for Jordanian students, while perceived support from friends was a better predictor of mental well‐being for Turkish students. Perceived family demands were stronger predictors of mental well‐being for participants from both ethnic groups. Jordanian and Turkish participants who perceived their families to be too demanding were more likely to report higher depression and stress levels. None of the interactions between social support or family demands and either of the 2 demographic variables were statistically significant. These findings provide a more nuanced view of the relationship between social support and mental health among college students, and point to the relevance of some cultural and situational factors. They also draw further attention to the detrimental effects of unrealistic family demands and pressures on the mental health of college youths.