A Five-Factor Theory Perspective

Abstract. Five-Factor Theory (FFT) is a conceptualization of the personality system that identifies traits as abstract Basic Tendencies rooted in biology. In this chapter, FFT is examined in relation to recent findings in cross-cultural psychology reported in this volume. FFT correctly predicts the universality of personality structure, maturation, and gender differentiation. FFT suggests that differences in the mean levels of traits across cultures may be due to differences in the distribution of trait-related alleles, and that cultural dif-ferences may be the effect, rather than the cause, of trait level differences. Reports of substantial cohort and acculturation effects pose challenges to FFT and provide special opportunities for future research

Cross-national differences in cooperative decision-making in mixed-motive business contexts: the mediating effect of vertical and horizontal individualism

Based on the institutional vs the individual view of culture and the theory of individualism–collectivism in explaining the in-group–outgoup distinction that people make in different cultures, we predicted that Chinese people would make less cooperative decisions than Australians in mixed-motive business situations in which no formal or informal sanction systems were in place. We also predicted that Chinese would be less cooperative with foreigners than with fellow Chinese when they were in a foreign territory, whereas Australians would be equally cooperative with members of both groups. Data from two cross-national experiments provided general support for these predictions. Moreover, the results of Study 2 showed that the nation effects on cooperative decision-making were mediated by individual cultural orientation on vertical and horizontal individualism. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed in the context of cross-cultural business settings. Journal of International Business Studies (2005) 36, 622–636. doi:10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8400169

Towards a Contextualized Cultural Framework

This chapter provides a theoretical framework that emphasizes the importance of examining how (1) internal values, attitudes and beliefs, and (2) features of the environment shape psychological processes and behaviors within and across cultures. We define and describe how internal and external sources influence human behavior across societies, both independently and in combination. The framework presented can be used to guide theoretical and empirical work that aims to better understand the relationship between values, attitudes, beliefs and aspects of the external environment on determining human behavior. Additionally, the approach used to develop our framework may not only be useful to social scientists, but to scholars who use techniques such as computational modeling and scenario-based media studies to describe or understand responses of individuals, with varying cultural value, beliefs, and attitudes, who are embedded within particular physical settings and social situations