Showing papers in "Asian Journal of Social Psychology in 2007"
TL;DR: The authors found that Chinese participants appraised themselves less positively than American participants on a cognitive measure of self-evaluations, but cultural differences were absent on a measure of affective self-regard.
Abstract: Although people from East Asian countries consistently report lower self-esteem than do those from Western countries, the origins of this difference are unclear. We conducted two studies to illuminate this issue. Study 1 found that Chinese participants appraised themselves less positively than American participants on a cognitive measure of self-evaluations, but cultural differences were absent on a measure of affective self-regard. Moreover, cultural differences in global self-esteem were eliminated once cognitive self-evaluations were statistically controlled. Study 2 found that cultural differences in modesty underlie cultural differences in cognitive self-evaluations. These findings suggest that Chinese feel as positively toward themselves as Americans do, but are less inclined to evaluate themselves in an excessively positive manner.
140 citations
[...]
TL;DR: In the area of personality research, a number of newer and older findings by Asian and European researchers suggest the need for expanding the Big Five model of personality traits with a sixth factor, Dependence on Others, in order to make the model culturally universal as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: How culture-proof are the social sciences? Travelling in another continent, one meets culture's influences not only in the objects of social science research, but at least as much in the minds of the researchers. Researchers' problem definitions and choices of issues to be addressed and questions to be asked limit what they will find; they are a potential source of ethnocentric bias. A case example of the discovery of such a bias was the emergence of a fifth dimension of national cultures supplementing Hofstede's four, through Bond's Chinese Value Survey. In the area of personality research, a number of newer and older findings by Asian and European researchers suggest the need for expanding the ‘Big Five’ model of personality traits with a sixth factor, Dependence on Others, in order to make the model culturally universal. In general, researchers recognize primarily those aspects of culture for which their own culture differs most from others. For escaping from the cultural constraints in our own research we therefore need to trade ideas with colleagues from other parts of the world. In this respect, Asian researchers have an important role to play.
104 citations
TL;DR: Denzin and Denzin this paper, The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research, 3rd ed Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2005, p. 5.1.4.
Abstract: Book review of Norman K Denzin and Yvonna S Lincoln (Eds) The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research, 3rd ed Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2005
99 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the mixed findings from research on filial piety by differentiating filial attitudes from filial behaviours, and used values, social beliefs, and self-construals to explain filial behaviors.
Abstract: In an attempt to explore the attitude-behaviour relationship, the present study examined the mixed findings from research on filial piety by differentiating filial attitudes from filial behaviours. The Filial Behaviour Scale was developed to tap the behavioural manifestations of filial piety, and its nomological network was established in two Chinese contexts, Hong Kong and Beijing. In addition to filial attitudes, we used values, social beliefs, and self-construals to explain filial behaviours. The results of hierarchical regression analysis showed that the value factor of conservation and the social axiom of reward for application predicted filial behaviour above and beyond filial attitudes; an interdependent self-construal moderated the effect of cultural group on filial behaviour. Gender and regional differences in filial piety were also examined. Males were found to score higher on filial attitudes, but not significantly higher on filial behaviours. Regional differences existed in filial behaviours, but not in filial attitudes, with Mainland Chinese displaying a higher level of filial behaviours than their Hong Kong counterparts. These identified differences suggest the importance of differentiating filial attitudes from filial behaviours in future attempts to understand Chinese filiality.
88 citations
TL;DR: This article conducted a meta-analysis to investigate the question of whether people from Eastern cultures self-enhance more for traits that they view to be important compared to those they view as unimportant.
Abstract: In a Journal of Personality and Social Psychology article, Sedikides, Gaertner and Vevea (2005) presented two meta-analyses that included eight papers to investigate the question of whether people from Eastern cultures self-enhance more for traits that they view to be important compared to those that they view as unimportant. The results supported their hypothesis: Self-enhancement appears to be pancultural. However, this conclusion is severely compromised by six relevant papers that are not included in their meta-analyses. Importantly, all of these six studies contradicted their hypothesis. When complete meta-analyses are conducted which include all of the relevant papers, a very different pattern of results emerges. Eastern and Western cultures do not differ from each other in the pattern of their self-enhancement of independent and interdependent traits. Furthermore, whereas Westerners self-enhanced significantly more for traits that they viewed to be especially important, East Asians did not. Contrary to the Sedikides et al. (2005) suggestion, the existing evidence suggests substantial cross-cultural variation in self-enhancement, with Westerners being far more self-enhancing than Easterners. Reasons for the conflicting pattern of findings across methods and meta-analyses are discussed.
61 citations
TL;DR: The Regulatory Focus Strategies Scale (RFSS) as discussed by the authors ) is a scale that assesses the endorsement of promotion and prevention strategies for goal pursuit, which was developed and validated in three studies in Australia and Japan.
Abstract: Regulatory focus theory proposes that people can have a promotion or a prevention focus when pursuing goals and choosing strategies. The Regulatory Focus Strategies Scale (RFSS), a scale that assesses the endorsement of promotion and prevention strategies for goal pursuit, is developed and validated in three studies. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses in Australia and Japan showed that promotion- and prevention-focused strategic endorsement formed two largely uncorrelated factors. The RFSS exhibits adequate reliability, and discriminant and convergent validity. A cross-cultural comparison showed that Australians were more promotion- but less prevention-focused than Japanese students. The RFSS provides an additional measure that is useful in future research on self-regulatory strategies.
61 citations
TL;DR: The authors report a meta-analysis that includes those six papers and conclude that inclusion of this moderator evidences pancultural self-enhancement: both Westerners and Easterners enhance on personally important dimensions.
Abstract: Heine, Kitayama and Hamamura (2007) attributed the Sedikides, Gaertner and Vevea (2005) findings to the exclusion of six papers. We report a meta-analysis that includes those six papers. The Heine et al. conclusions are faulty, because of a misspecified meta-analysis that failed to consider two moderators central to the theory. First, some of their effect sizes originated from studies that did not empirically validate comparison dimensions. Inclusion of this moderator evidences pancultural self-enhancement: Westerners enhance more strongly on individualistic dimensions, Easterners on collectivistic dimensions. Second, some of their effect sizes were irrelevant to whether enhancement is correlated with dimension importance. Inclusion of this moderator evidences pancultural self-enhancement: Both Westerners and Easterners enhance on personally important dimensions. The Sedikides et al. conclusions are valid: Tactical self-enhancement is pancultural.
60 citations
TL;DR: This paper explored the influences of subjective and descriptive norms on environmentally conscious behaviours between the USA and Japan and found that subjective norms would have a larger effect on behaviour in Japan than in the USA.
Abstract: The present study explored the influences of subjective and descriptive norms on environmentally conscious behaviours between the USA and Japan. It was predicted that subjective norms would have a larger effect on behaviour in Japan than in the USA. Descriptive norms were expected to have a greater influence on behaviour in the USA. The survey was done with 160 American students and 114 Japanese students. The results showed that subjective norms are relevant only in Japan, but the effect was limited. Alternatively, descriptive norms were a powerful determinant in the USA. It was also found that respondents asserted that they commit environmentally conscious behaviours more frequently than others, regardless of their country. The present research suggests that the role of subjective and descriptive norms may vary between cultures, and highlights a necessity for distinguishing between interpersonal and social norms.
49 citations
TL;DR: Sedikides et al. as discussed by the authors argued that meta-analytical inclusion of effects that are incapable of testing the tactical self-enhancement hypothesis is not the only acceptable measure of self enhancement.
Abstract: We do not regard the better-than-average effect as 'the only acceptable measure of self-enhancement' (Heine, Kitayama, & Hamamura, 2007b). Rather, we object to meta-analytical inclusion of effects that are incapable of testing the tactical self-enhancement hypothesis. In Investigation 1 of Sedikides, Gaertner, and Vevea (2007a), 12 of the 24 effects involved attributes that were unvalidated for domain (collectivistic vs individualistic): these effects are uninformative. The 12 domain-validated effects supported the hypothesis. In Investigation 2 of Sedikides et al. (2007a), 12 of the 29 effects were deemed irrelevant. None of these effects involved a correlation between: (a) a participant's rating of self and his/her rating of another person; and (b) idiographic importance rating of the comparison attributes. These effects, then, cannot test whether the self–other comparison varies with the personal importance of the comparison attributes. The 17 relevant effects supported the hypothesis. The weight of the evidence points to the panculturality of self-enhancement.
46 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors tested the generality of terror management in Hong Kong Chinese samples and found robust and consistent mortality salience effects, which attest to the generalality of terrorism management.
Abstract: Management of terror of death and its subsequent reactions has been held to be universal. However, with only a few exceptions empirical efforts have so far been focused on people from North American and European countries. Would Eastern philosophical traditions render differential management of the terror of death? The present research aimed at testing the generality of terror management in Hong Kong Chinese samples. Across four studies, we found robust and consistent mortality salience effects, which attest to the generality of terror management. As in previous studies, compared to control participants, mortality salient participants displayed a stronger ingroup bias in person evaluation (Studies 1, 3). Additionally, we found a robust mortality salience effect on intergroup bias in resource allocation (Studies 2A, 2B, 3), which has not been examined in previous terror management research.
43 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a new scale was given in Japan and the USA and three factors were identified in both cultures: others focus factor, helping others factor, and helping others factors.
Abstract: The definitions of individualism/collectivism and the content of scale items used to assess them could explain the lack of cross-cultural differences reported in some research. Specifically, existing scales may not adequately assess expected cultural differences. In study 1, a new scale was given in Japan and the USA. Three factors were identified in both cultures. Japanese scored higher on the others focus factor but scored lower on the helping others factor than the US Americans. In study 2, a forced choice version replicated results in study 1. In studies 3 and 4, the factor structure and cultural differences were replicated and the convergent and the divergent validities of the scale were examined. Results indicate that Japanese may be more others oriented depending on the item content.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated marital relationships of the Urban Turkish family and found that couple-initiated marriages were more emotionally involving, less enmeshed with families, more egalitarian, and involved fewer conflicts.
Abstract: The present study aimed to investigate marital relationships of the Urban Turkish family. Questionnaires were given to both members of 430 couples at various stages of the marriage cycle. Information concerning demographic characteristics, spousal feelings, marital functioning, including division of labour and satisfaction with division of labour, decision-making, and conflict; and relationships with social network, including feelings for families of origin and frequency of interaction with families was obtained. Results revealed that in comparison to family-initiated marriages, couple-initiated marriages were more emotionally involving, less enmeshed with families, more egalitarian, and involved fewer conflicts. However, over successive stages of the marital cycle, conflict declined in family-initiated marriages and division of labour became less equalitarian in couple-initiated marriages. No differences between the two types of marriage emerged with respect to decision-making and conflict management style. Wives were reportedly more influential with respect to decisions concerning families and children than their husbands in both types of marriage. Couples at later stages of the marital cycle reported lower emotional involvement and less equalitarian division of labour. Relationships between educational level and various marital measures were also obtained. The results are discussed in relation to the possibly different marital schema entertained by men and women within the modernising context of Turkey and with respect to possibly different effects of modernization on different aspects of marraige.
TL;DR: In this article, the role of relative in-group status, the stability of this status, and the type of help provided were considered. But, the authors did not consider the effect of intergroup status on intergroup cooperation.
Abstract: The current research expanded upon previous theoretical and empirical arguments regarding the nature of intergroup helping. In doing so, we considered the role of relative in-group status, the stability of this status, and the type of help provided. In a scenario study, we observed that members of a relatively high status group more strongly supported the provision of assistance to in-group members than members of a lower status out-group when the assistance was empowering in nature and when the high in-group status was unstable. When the intergroup status differences were stable, however, support for empowerment help to members of a lower status out-group was not significantly lower than support for such help to in-group members. We discuss these data with reference to realistic intergroup conflict theory and social identity theory.
TL;DR: A scan of citation impact suggests that Asian social psychologists have made significant contributions in three areas: indigenous research, culture and social behaviour, and in several topics in social psychology.
Abstract: A scan of citation impact suggests that Asian social psychologists have made significant contributions in three areas: indigenous research, culture and social behaviour, and in several topics in social psychology. An analysis of the most cited articles published in Asian Journal of Social Psychology (AJSP) in 1998–2002 in March 2005 reveals that most papers are concerned with culture, with a focus on either popular topics in the West or indigenous concepts. Asian social psychology seems to be closely associated with cultural issues, but it still lacks unique theoretical contributions, and the number of internationally visible scholars is limited and is mostly confined to East Asia. However, Asian cultures provide a fertile ground for identifying new constructs. Many Asian universities are now under pressure to internationalize, which will motivate more academics to participate in Asian conferences and publish in AJSP. To develop Asian social psychology, effort should be focused on nurturing the next generation of Asian social psychologists, who not only need an international perspective, but also ambition and creativity.
TL;DR: Sedikides et al. as discussed by the authors identified inclusion criteria that largely limit the question to studies of the better-than-average effect (i.e. 27 out of 29 effects that they include as validated and relevant).
Abstract: What types of studies test the question of pancultural self-enhancement? Sedikides, Gaertner, and Vevea (2007) have identified inclusion criteria that largely limit the question to studies of the better-than-average effect (i.e. 27 out of 29 effects that they include as ‘validated’ and ‘relevant’). In contrast, other effects which they labelled as ‘unvalidated’ or ‘irrelevant’ used methods other than the better-than-average effect (i.e. 24 out of 24 effects). Because Sedikides et al. are drawing conclusions about pancultural self-enhancement and not the pancultural better-than-average effect, these excluded studies are relevant to the hypothesis under question. Ignoring the findings from other methods is highly problematic, in particular because these other methods yield results that conflict with those from the better-than-average effect. An analysis of effects from all studies reveals no support for pancultural self-enhancement.
TL;DR: This article explored differences in emotional and identity-relatedness with parents across two cultural groups (863 university students from the USA and Turkey, representing individualist and collectivist societies, respectively) in study 1, and across two socioeconomic status (SES) groups (353 high school students from upper and lower SES in Turkey) in Study 2.
Abstract: Differences in emotional- and identity-relatedness with parents were explored across two cultural groups (863 university students from the USA and Turkey, representing individualist and collectivist societies, respectively) in Study 1, and across two socioeconomic status (SES) groups (353 high school students from the upper and lower SES in Turkey) in Study 2. In both studies, within-cultural differences in emotional- and identity-relatedness with parents were also explored in terms of: (i) self-directed and other-directed value orientations; and (ii) self-types, as suggested by the Balanced Integration-Differentiation Model. Results indicated cultural groups to be quite similar in emotional-relatedness, but to differ in relatedness of identities, with Turks reporting more related identities. Similarly, in Turkey, SES seemed to have more impact on identities than on emotional closeness, the lower SES adolescents reporting more relatedness with parents than upper SES adolescents. Thus, relatedness of identities appeared to be more important than emotional relatedness in differentiating between cultural and SES contexts. Results involving different self-types and value orientations pointed to both cross-cultural similarities and within-cultural diversity in the two domains of relatedness. Theoretical implications of cross- and within-culture differences in emotional- and identity-relatedness with parents are discussed.
TL;DR: In this article, the future trends of Asian social psychology by taking into account its possible contribution to broad cultural and historical contexts of Asia are proposed, and two modes of research activities, Mode I and Mode II, based on previous research, are introduced.
Abstract: The present study proposes the future trends of Asian social psychology by taking into account its possible contribution to broad cultural and historical contexts of Asia. First, I locate social psychology in a two (nomothetic vs narrative) by two (epistemic vs design) paradigm of sciences. Second, I propose that different research perspectives in social psychology (i.e. so-called mainstream and narrative-design social psychology) may be considered as fraternal twins of the same mother, classic social psychology, and describe where each of the twins is heading. Third, I introduce two modes of research activities, Mode I and Mode II, based on previous research, and examine each twin in both modes of research. Finally, I focus on the broad context of Asia and propose that we should expand two wings, especially, the second wing over the context of the region.
TL;DR: This paper found that Asian participants displayed significantly less implicit prejudice and significantly greater explicit prejudice than their Anglo counterparts, and that the attenuation of implicit bias of both the Anglo majority and Asian minority group members was investigated.
Abstract: the study of their attitudes provides unique insight into the nature of prejudice. The current study found that in an Australian context, Asian participants displayed significantly less implicit prejudice and significantly greater explicit prejudice than their Anglo counterparts. This finding provided further evidence of the dissociation of explicit and implicit attitudes, specifically in regard to their predication. In addition, the attenuation of the implicit prejudice of both the Anglo majority and Asian minority group members was investigated. Brief exposure to positive out-group exemplars was found to attenuate the implicit bias of Asian but not Anglo participants, suggesting that this technique may be contingent upon more fundamental prejudice-reducing measures and providing further support that the undermining of implicit biases requires long-term, effortful processes.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined whether this design information affected attributions for earthquake damage and found that participants attributed damage to building design more strongly and rated damage more preventable when scenarios referred to the poor building design of damaged buildings than when scenarios gave no design information.
Abstract: Causal attributions for events are shaped by information about causal mechanisms that contribute to the events. In the case of damage from earthquakes, these mechanisms include the design of buildings. Three studies presented scenarios drawn from actual reports of recent earthquakes (Kobe, Japan and Northridge, California, USA), including statements by engineers about the quality of the design of damaged and undamaged buildings. Studies examined whether this design information affected attributions for earthquake damage. Participants attributed damage to building design more strongly and rated damage more preventable when scenarios referred to the poor building design of damaged buildings than when scenarios gave no design information. Information about the excellent design of undamaged buildings had less consistent effects. This effect was most consistent with scenarios about the design of damaged buildings. These findings show that mechanism (design) information does influence judgments about damage in earthquakes and, by implication, other hazards.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this article, the leg-to-body ratio (LBR) has been suggested as an under-researched aesthetic criterion in humans and the results showed that, for British participants, a higher LBR was preferred in women but a lower LBR in men.
Abstract: The leg-to-body ratio (LBR) has been suggested as an under-researched aesthetic criterion in humans. In the present study, 54 rural Malaysians and 80 Britons rated for physical attractiveness a set of line drawings that varied in five levels of LBR. The results showed that, for British participants, a higher LBR was preferred in women but a lower LBR was preferred in men. Malaysian participants, in contrast, rated medium female LBR and low male LBR as the most attractive. These results are discussed in terms of cross-cultural differences in media exposure, which may moderate judgements of attractiveness of various body components.
TL;DR: This paper found that the Japanese are more likely to attend to negative information of the self, but not more or less likely to focus on negative things about others, while the USA tended to focus more on positive things over negative things than on self-enhancement.
Abstract: Americans) were more likely to attend to negative information of the self, but not more or less likelyto focus on negative things about others. Based on within-culture analyses, the Americans’ data were betterdescribed by their tendency to focus on positive things over negative things than by their tendency for self-enhancement. In contrast, the Japanese data were better described by their self-critical tendency. This result wasreplicated in a second study. In addition, correlations between constructs with opposite valences were negativein the USA, but positive or absent in Japan.
TL;DR: The authors developed a model to predict two dimensions of emotional response to being harmed, anger and worry, and found that both perceived image loss and blame judgments were found to predict the emotional complex of anger.
Abstract: Being harmed by others is a frequent and disturbing experience in normal social life, resulting in the arousal of two emotional complexes, anger and worry. The present research developed a model to predict these two dimensions of emotional response to being harmed. It was argued that in addition to being driven by judgments of blame, anger is also enhanced by assessments that one's social face has been damaged. The victim's judgment of this face loss also contributes to feelings of worry, as one's social credibility has been compromised in the eyes of others by being harmed. Worry is further augmented by the victim's concern about the damage done to his or her relationship with the perpetrator by the harm-doing. As hypothesized, both perceived image loss and blame judgments were found to predict the emotional complex of anger, while image loss and the perceived harm to the relationship predicted the emotional complex of worry. This research supplemented the well-researched Western construct of blame in response to harm by incorporating the more salient collectivist concerns of image loss and relationship damage, pushing our models of social processes to be more comprehensive and ultimately universal in their scope. Language: en
TL;DR: The authors examines the role, status and development of Asian social psychology from four perspectives: (i) looking back; (ii) looking in; (iii) looking out; and (iv) looking forward.
Abstract: The present paper examines the role, status and development of Asian social psychology from four perspectives: (i) looking back; (ii) looking in; (iii) looking out; and (iv) looking forward. Looking back elaborates early attempts to ‘add Asians’ to social psychology and replicate classic social psychological research in Asian contexts. Looking in describes more sophisticated developments in Asian social psychology including the indigenization of theory, methods and measurements. Looking out critically examines the position of Asian social psychology in the international arena and discusses its impact on the discipline more broadly. Finally, looking forward makes some cautious predictions about the future of Asian social psychology in both regional and international spheres.
TL;DR: Atsumi, Hofstede, Leung, and Ward as discussed by the authors discussed what is social about Asian social psychology and, equally intriguing, what is Asian about it, and concluded that a practical and creative social psychology that is in, of, and for Asia, and defines itself as a network of like-minded collaborators gathered around a central purpose rather than as a geographic or genetic entity will have the best chance of realizing the potential of Asian Social Psychology.
Abstract: This Special Issue (SI), which marks the 10th anniversary of the Asian Journal of Social Psychology, carries the triple roles of taking stock of the past, scouting the present, and envisioning the future. In so doing, it connects with the 6th biennial conference of the Asian Association of Social Psychology held in 2005, in which several keynote speakers (Atsumi, Hofstede, Leung, and Ward) addressed the same troika of concerns. Together with invited commentary from Chiu and Matsumoto they form the substance of this SI. As SI Editors, we read the papers several times, for what they were and, just as enlightening, for what they were not. In the process, we reflected on what is social about Asian social psychology and, equally intriguing, on what is Asian about it. The (tentative) conclusion that we have reached is that a practical and creative social psychology that is in, of, and for Asia, and defines itself as a network of like-minded collaborators gathered around a central purpose rather than as a geographic or genetic entity will have the best chance of realizing the potential of Asian social psychology.
TL;DR: This article explored self-perceptions and meta-stereotypes along two dimensions, individuation and sociability, within a sample of Asian American and European American students, and found that meta-Stereotypes in dimensions of sociability appear to be exaggerated forms of selfperceptions along these dimensions.
Abstract: The present study explored self-perceptions and meta-stereotypes along two dimensions, individuation and sociability, within a sample of Asian American and European American students. For both ethnic groups, meta-stereotypes in dimensions of individuation and sociability appear to be exaggerated forms of self-perceptions along these dimensions. Both Asian and European Americans distinguish between self-perceptions of sociability and individuation, showing that sociability and individuation are two independent constructs. Asian Americans, however, perceived that others who expect a certain level of sociability from their ethnic group would also expect the same level of individuation. Implications of these findings for the perpetuation of Asian stereotypes are discussed.
TL;DR: In this article, the Implicit Association Test taps associative intergroup evaluations that are not necessarily consistent with the propositional implications of one's social identification inclusiveness and need for closure, while explicit intergroup attitude measures tap propositional evaluations resulting from validating the inferences drawn from pertinent propositional information in the evaluation context.
Abstract: The current study tests an implication of the Associative-Propositional Evaluation model of implicit and explicit attitude measures in Hong Kong's intergroup context. We argued that the Implicit Association Test taps associative intergroup evaluations that are not necessarily consistent with the propositional implications of one's social identification inclusiveness and need for closure. In contrast, explicit intergroup attitude measures tap propositional evaluations resulting from validating the inferences drawn from pertinent propositional information in the evaluation context. Thus, explicit intergroup attitude should be consistent with the propositional implications of social identification inclusiveness and need for closure. We tested and found support for these hypotheses in a study of Hong Kong adolescents' (N = 65) perception of Hong Kong people and Mainland Chinese.
TL;DR: In this article, the influence of age on anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress of the supercyclone-affected people in Orissa was examined in structured interview sessions 3 months after the disaster struck.
Abstract: The present study examines the influence of age on anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress of the supercyclone-affected people in Orissa. The data were collected in structured interview sessions 3 months after the disaster struck. Of the 130 interviewees, 65 persons were severely exposed and the rest were mildly exposed to the supercyclone. When the effects of exposure, caste, and gender were controlled, linear effects of age on psychological distress were found to be significant, whereas quadratic effects of age on psychological distress were non-significant. With increasing age, survivors experienced more anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress. The elderly people were the most vulnerable.
TL;DR: The authors found that the extent to which consumers use price information as an indicator of quality or sacrifice is a function of consumer goal (promotion focus vs. prevention focus) and that extremeness aversion is associated with consumer goal.
Abstract: Prior research seems to have neglected the factors that influence consumers to use price information as an indicator of quality or sacrifice Based on the concept of ‘goal looms larger’, Study 1 in the present research demonstrated that the extent to which consumers use price information as an indicator of quality or sacrifice is a function of consumer goal (promotion focus vs prevention focus) Study 2 demonstrated that extremeness aversion is a function of consumer goal The extent of extremeness aversion is significantly greater for prevention-focused consumers than for promotion-focused consumers
TL;DR: This paper found that people tend to place a greater weight on the self than normative standards when considering their comparative position in a group, and that this tendency is independent of the size or direction of comparative biases.
Abstract: Studies on above-average and unrealistic-optimism effects have recently claimed that they are the consequence of an over-utilization of self-relevant and under-utilization of peer-relevant information, despite the assumption that people would refer to both themselves and their average peer to make a comparative judgment However, there is a possibility that these tendencies are prevalent only in Western cultures The present paper reports on three studies of comparative self-other judgments conducted with Japanese university students The results consistently showed that participants tended to focus simply on their own abilities, traits, or the likelihood of experiencing future life events, without paying much attention to their peers These findings suggest first that there is a consistent tendency for people to place a greater weight on the self than normative standards when considering their comparative position in a group, and that this tendency is independent of the size or direction of comparative biases