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The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies

Published on: August 25, 2023

Cultural differences are not always reducible to individual differences.

Jinkyung Na¹, Igor Grossmann, Michael E W Varnum

¹Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. jinna@umich.edu

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

|March 24, 2010

Summary

Cultural and social class differences in social orientation and cognition do not always apply to individuals within those groups. This study found no consistent individual differences in these traits, even when group-level distinctions were clear.

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Area of Science:

Social Psychology
Cross-Cultural Psychology
Cognitive Psychology

Background:

Societies and social classes exhibit distinct social orientations (independent vs. interdependent) and cognitive styles (analytic vs. holistic).
Previous research often assumes these group-level differences translate to individual variations.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate whether group-level differences in social orientation and cognitive style are reflected in individual differences within those groups.
To assess the validity of independent/interdependent social orientation and analytic/holistic cognitive style as measures of individual variation.

Main Methods:

A large-scale study utilizing 10 distinct measures for social orientation (independent vs. interdependent).
Employed 10 distinct measures for cognitive style (analytic vs. holistic).
Analyzed correlations among measures at the individual level.

Main Results:

Social orientation measures effectively differentiated between independent and interdependent orientations at the group level.
However, correlations among individual social orientation measures were negligible.
Cognitive style measures also showed group-level validity but lacked coherent individual differences.
Individual-level analyses revealed no consistent patterns for either social or cognitive constructs.

Conclusions:

Behavioral constructs that distinguish between groups may not be valid for measuring individual differences.
Group-level cultural and social class distinctions do not necessarily manifest as reliable individual psychological differences.
Highlights the importance of distinguishing between group-level and individual-level psychological constructs.