title: Choice and self-expression: a cultural analysis of variety-seeking.
abstract: Three studies examined whether the tendency to seek variety in choices depends in part on cultural assumptions of choice and uniqueness. Study 1 showed that people from different cultures where different assumptions of choice and uniqueness dominate show different levels of variety in their choice rule use. Study 2 primed participants with magazine ads highlighting different representations of uniqueness dominant in individualist versus collectivist cultures to show the influence of cultural meanings of uniqueness on the variety-seeking tendency. Study 3 manipulated the motivation to display variety to demonstrate that variety-seeking in the United States partly hinges on cultural meanings of choice as self-expression. Variety-seeking in choice rule use was eliminated when participants had the chance to self-express through choice listing. The research illustrates the role of cultural assumptions in the variety-seeking tendency.
authors.affiliation: Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Harvey Mudd College, USA. h_kim@psych.ucsb.edu
authors.forename: Heejung S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Aimee
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Drolet
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003469:Culture; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D007723:Korea; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D012650:Self Disclosure; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States