Epistemic motives and cultural conformity: need for closure, culture, and context as determinants of conflict judgments.
Three studies support the proposal that need for closure (NFC) involves a desire for consensual validation that leads to cultural conformity. Individual differences in NFC interact with cultural group variables to determine East Asian versus Western differences in conflict style and procedural preferences (Study 1), information gathering in disputes (Study 2), and fairness judgment in reward allocations (Study 3). Results from experimental tests indicate that the relevance of NFC to cultural conformity reflects consensus motives rather than effort minimization (Study 2) or political conservatism (Study 3). Implications for research on conflict resolution and motivated cultural cognition are discussed.
Fu
Jeanne Ho-ying
JH
Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. ahyfu@ntu.edu.sg
Morris
Michael W
MW
Lee
Sau-lai
SL
Chao
Melody
M
Chiu
Chi-yue
CY
Hong
Ying-yi
YY
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D032921:Consensus; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D011057:Politics; D012201:Reward; D012925:Social Conformity; D014481:United States; D017132:Workplace