Cultural effect on perspective taking in Chinese-English bilinguals.
Some recent evidence has suggested that perspective taking skills in everyday life situations may differ across cultural groups. In the present study, we investigated this effect via culture priming in a group of Chinese-English bilingual adults in the context of a communication game. Results showed that the participants made more perspective taking errors when interpreting the game instruction under the Western than the Chinese primes. The findings suggest that the ability to assume others' mental states not only can be used strategically but is also influenced by the currently active cultural frame in the mind of the bilingual. The present study provides the first evidence for a cultural effect on perspective taking using a within-sample approach via culture priming.
Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Sha Tin, N.T., Hong Kong.
Kevin K S
KK
Luk
Wen S
WS
Xiao
Him
H
Cheung
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D044466:Asian People; D003142:Communication; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D019303:Multilingualism; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D012919:Social Behavior; D012938:Social Perception; D012951:Socialization; D014481:United States; D044465:White People; D055815:Young Adult