title: Affective reactions differ between Chinese and American healthy young adults: a cross-cultural study using the international affective picture system.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Several cross-cultural studies have suggested that emotions are influenced by the cultural background. Emotional reactions to International Affective Picture System (IAPS) images were compared between Chinese and American young adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  120 Chinese undergraduates (53 females, 67 males; aged 18-25 years) were enrolled at Zhejiang University, China, and the valence and arousal components of their emotional responses to IAPS images were rated using the Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) system. Then, valence and arousal scores were compared to those of 100 American undergraduates (50 females, 50 males) of the same age group, enrolled at Florida University and surveyed by Prof. PJ Lang in 2001.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Valence scores assigned to 259/816 (31.74%) pictures differed significantly between Chinese and American female participants, while those assigned to 165/816 (20.22%) pictures differed significantly between Chinese and American males (P < 6 × 10(-5)). Of the 816 pictures, the arousal scores assigned to 101/816 (12.38%) pictures differed significantly between Chinese and American female participants; these scores significantly differed in 130/816 (15.93%) pictures between Chinese and American males (P < 6 × 10(-5)). Valence scores for pictures in the Erotic category differed significantly between Chinese and American females (P < 6 × 10(-5)). There were no significant differences in valence scores for the remaining eight categories studied between participants from the two countries, whether female or male.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The IAPS norms require a modification for their appropriate application in Asian cultures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310003, China. huangjinwen112233@163.com.|The Key Laboratory of Mental Disorder's Management in Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310003, China. huangjinwen112233@163.com.
authors.forename: Jinwen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, 10032, USA. XuD@nyspi.columbia.edu.
authors.forename: Dongrong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Institute of the Developing Mind, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, 90027, USA. bspmd61@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Bradley S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Peterson
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310003, China. hujianbo618@163.com.|The Key Laboratory of Mental Disorder's Management in Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310003, China. hujianbo618@163.com.
authors.forename: Jianbo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinic, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310003, China. caolinfeng81@163.com.
authors.forename: Linfeng
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310003, China. nwei2011@163.com.|The Key Laboratory of Mental Disorder's Management in Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310003, China. nwei2011@163.com.
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Xiaoshan Hospital of Zhejiang, Hangzhou, 311201, China. zhangyran@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Yingran
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310003, China. xiaowangwang2012@yeah.net.|The Key Laboratory of Mental Disorder's Management in Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310003, China. xiaowangwang2012@yeah.net.
authors.forename: Weijuan
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310003, China. xuyizju@163.com.|The Key Laboratory of Mental Disorder's Management in Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310003, China. xuyizju@163.com.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310003, China. dorhushaohua@zju.edu.cn.|The Key Laboratory of Mental Disorder's Management in Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310003, China. dorhushaohua@zju.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Shaohua
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology*; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D012647:Self-Assessment; D014481:United States / Q000208:ethnology; D055815:Young Adult