Sidestepping cultural Sidestepping cultural chauvinism by teasing the chauvinism by teasing the

etics out of the emics etics out of the emics scientificallyscientifically

Michael Harris BondMichael Harris BondChinese University of Hong KongChinese University of Hong Kong

Presentation for the symposium, Presentation for the symposium, ““Incorporating indigenous Incorporating indigenous psychologies within cross-cultural psychologies within cross-cultural psychology”, organized by Peter psychology”, organized by Peter Weinreich at the Congress of the Weinreich at the Congress of the International Association for Cross-International Association for Cross-cultural Psychology, Bremen, cultural Psychology, Bremen, Germany, July 27-31, 2008Germany, July 27-31, 2008

A disciplinary exercise in A disciplinary exercise in category width?category width?

• Category width: “…Category width: “…the range of instances the range of instances included within a included within a cognitive category.” cognitive category.” (Pettigrew, 1958)(Pettigrew, 1958)

• a.k.a. breadth of a.k.a. breadth of categorization, band- categorization, band- width or equivalence…width or equivalence…

• at what level in the at what level in the tree of life is A tree of life is A sufficiently similar to sufficiently similar to B to be regarded as B to be regarded as the same? the same?

Drawing the lines…Drawing the lines…

• ““The Colonel smiled indulgently, ‘Gentlemen, The Colonel smiled indulgently, ‘Gentlemen, gentlemen, you know as well as I do that gentlemen, you know as well as I do that everything depends on how you draw the lines. You everything depends on how you draw the lines. You can make a wain a bear, whatever you like, and it’s can make a wain a bear, whatever you like, and it’s hard to decide whether a given star is part of a hard to decide whether a given star is part of a given constellation or not…’ ‘You just have to given constellation or not…’ ‘You just have to decide which stars to omit,’ Belbo said. ‘Precisely,’ decide which stars to omit,’ Belbo said. ‘Precisely,’ the Colonel agreed.” the Colonel agreed.” Foucault’s pendulumFoucault’s pendulum

• ““Everything is correlated with everything else.” Everything is correlated with everything else.” [attributed to Paul Meehl], [attributed to Paul Meehl],

• so, if all phenomena are related, what is so, if all phenomena are related, what is significantly related, what [statistically] significant significantly related, what [statistically] significant relations are [scientifically] significant?relations are [scientifically] significant?

Judging Judging scientificalscientifical

lyly

• how to decide?how to decide?• predictive power for the predictive power for the explicandum explicandum

the issue to be explained… the issue to be explained… • Yik and Bond’s (1993, p. 91) Yik and Bond’s (1993, p. 91)

conclusion that, “for present conclusion that, “for present purposes, the emic measure did no purposes, the emic measure did no better than the imposed etic” [in better than the imposed etic” [in predicting degree of Westernization]predicting degree of Westernization]

• How emic is the circumference of How emic is the circumference of the explanatory circle that the explanatory circle that we have reached?we have reached?

• at that point, cultural and at that point, cultural and individual differences appear individual differences appear more pronounced, and entities more pronounced, and entities become differentbecome different

• Category width and personality, esp. Category width and personality, esp. ethnocentrism…and “the will to ethnocentrism…and “the will to believe”believe”

An irresolvable debate with An irresolvable debate with a psychological basis?a psychological basis?

• test oneself with a “best-test oneself with a “best-practice” example:practice” example:

• Cheung et al.’s (2008) Cheung et al.’s (2008) attempt to identify and attempt to identify and locate openness to locate openness to experience in Chinese experience in Chinese personality spacepersonality space

• the issue: is there a the issue: is there a dimension of openness to dimension of openness to experience in the Chinese experience in the Chinese cultural tradition?cultural tradition?

• is it the same as American, is it the same as American, indeed pan-cultural, indeed pan-cultural, openness to experience?openness to experience?

• how to proceed? how to proceed?

Is there a dimension of openness to Is there a dimension of openness to experience experience

in the Chinese cultural tradition?in the Chinese cultural tradition?

• develop a comprehensive, Chinese personality develop a comprehensive, Chinese personality inventory from the ground up – the CPAIinventory from the ground up – the CPAI

• four dimensions emerged; none “like” openness – four dimensions emerged; none “like” openness – D1D1• generate six, “culturally relevant” scales [facets] to generate six, “culturally relevant” scales [facets] to

measure openness as previously conceptualized measure openness as previously conceptualized elsewhere – elsewhere – D2D2

• factor analyze the enlarged, revised CPAI-2factor analyze the enlarged, revised CPAI-2• still, a separate openness factor did not emerge – still, a separate openness factor did not emerge – D3D3

Drawing the scientific Drawing the scientific lines…lines…

tentatively – tentatively – D4D4• CPAI-2 is combined with the “imposed emic” CPAI-2 is combined with the “imposed emic”

and possibly etic measure of openness to and possibly etic measure of openness to experience – the NEO-FFIexperience – the NEO-FFI

• six factors were extracted from this joint six factors were extracted from this joint factor analysis – factor analysis – D4D4

• four of the CPAI-2 “openness” factors loaded four of the CPAI-2 “openness” factors loaded with the NEO-FFI measures of opennesswith the NEO-FFI measures of openness

• openness can be teased out of Chinese openness can be teased out of Chinese culture, but it takes much “teasing”culture, but it takes much “teasing”

• and many choice points had to be hurdled and many choice points had to be hurdled en en routeroute

• were we led by what we were looking to were we led by what we were looking to find?find?

Table 4. Joint Principal Axis Factor Analysis of the CPAI‑2 and NEO‑FFI – Six-Factor Solution (Valid N = 962)

Neuro-ticism

Openness Extra-Version

Conscien-tiousness

Agree-ableness

Interpersonal Relatedness

Optimism vs. Pessimism (Depend)

-.75 .20 .21 .16 .03 .00

NEO-Neuroticism-3 .74 -.02 -.25 -.23 -.14 .06

NEO-Neuroticism-1 .73 .02 -.27 -.13 -.07 .02

NEO-Neuroticism-2 .67 .04 -.28 -.11 -.27 .00

Inferiority vs. Self-Acceptance (Depend)

.65 -.24 -.24 -.37 -.10 .19

Emotionality (Depend) .62 -.02 .09 -.20 -.24 -.16

Enterprise (Depend) -.61 .41 .26 .20 -.11 -.17

Face (Depend) .41 -.15 .13 -.07 -.13 .22

NEO-Openness-3 -.05 .65 .01 .05 .16 -.03

Divergent Thinking (Exp/SoP)

-.15 .64 .25 .23 -.15 .11

Diversity (Exp/SoP) -.20 .64 .25 .04 .12 -.05

Aesthetics (Exp/SoP) .00 .63 .03 .03 .12 .11

Novelty (Exp/SoP) -.33 .62 .35 .13 -.14 -.10

Logical vs. Affective Orientation (Exp/SoP)

-.33 .56 .11 .28 -.10 .14

NEO-Openness-2 .02 .55 -.09 .01 .12 -.02

NEO-Openness-1 .04 .44 .13 -.08 -.02 -.15

Table 4. Joint Principal Axis Factor Analysis of the CPAI‑2 and NEO‑FFI – Six-Factor Solution (Valid N = 962)

Neuro-ticism

Openness Extra-Version

Conscien-tiousness

Agree-ableness

Interpersonal Relatedness

Note: Exp/SoP, Depend, Accom, and IR: Social Potency/Expansiveness, Dependability, Accommodation, and Interpersonal Relatedness scales respectively of the CPAI‑2, based on the factor structure reported in Table 2. NEO‑FFI parcels are prefixed by NEO. Factor loadings of at least .40 are given in boldface.

The emergence of noveltyThe emergence of novelty• joint factor analysis of emics from different joint factor analysis of emics from different

traditions [are imposed etics merely a dominant traditions [are imposed etics merely a dominant group’s emic?] enables novelty to be revealedgroup’s emic?] enables novelty to be revealed

• new factors must be primarily composed of culture-new factors must be primarily composed of culture-specific items, e.g., Cheung et al.’s Interpersonal specific items, e.g., Cheung et al.’s Interpersonal Relatedness w. enable that new factor to be Relatedness w. enable that new factor to be extractedextracted

• excessive factoring could then reveal novel factors, excessive factoring could then reveal novel factors, so again tendentious judgment must be restrainedso again tendentious judgment must be restrained

• any judgments made must then be tested any judgments made must then be tested empirically for their predictive advantage, using empirically for their predictive advantage, using hierarchical regression, e.g., Zhang & Bond, 1999, hierarchical regression, e.g., Zhang & Bond, 1999, on the Big Five, IR, and filial pietyon the Big Five, IR, and filial piety

Thereby…Thereby…• Giving each cultural group a Giving each cultural group a

potential voicepotential voice• but, forcing that voice into a but, forcing that voice into a

multi-cultural chorusmulti-cultural chorus• ““Rendering unto Caesar what is Rendering unto Caesar what is

Caesar’s – Reichenbach’s Caesar’s – Reichenbach’s “context of discovery”,“context of discovery”,

• and unto God what and unto God what is God’s” – Reichenbach’s is God’s” – Reichenbach’s “context of evaluation” “context of evaluation”

As we will [to] As we will [to] draw those lines…draw those lines…