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Extensive research, in Western countries, links parental mood and parenting styles with child outcomes including emotional and behavioural adjustment. However, the effects of cultural differences, particularly between Australia and Indonesia on such linkages have not been adequately addressed in the existing literature. This cross-cultural study aims to examine the relationship between perceived parental mood, parenting styles, and child emotional and behavioural adjustment among both Australian and Indonesian parents. Using an online survey, a total of 436 parents (125 Australian and 311 Indonesian parents) with at least one typically developing child between the age of 3 and 9 years participated in this descriptive, exploratory study. Results indicated that in comparison to Australian parents, Indonesian participants reported greater anxiety symptoms, lower levels of depression, and more use of an authoritarian style in parenting. Similar patterns in the associations of observed variables were found between different cultural groups. High levels of parental stress and less use of authoritative parenting were revealed to be predictors of child emotional and behavioural problems while the authoritative parenting style was the predictor for child competencies within both cultures. This study provides evidence for the inconsistency between cultural preference in parenting style and the predicted factors for child outcomes.

Technology is ubiquitous and culturally situated, influencing and impacting lives every second of every day. As humanity emerged, so did technological development. Diverse cultural groups developed technologies, related knowledge, and processes, to meet emerging needs or realise opportunities—such as trade. There is little doubt that some technological processes and knowledge travelled with people as they explored the world. Other technological development is likely to have evolved in parallel, in response to cultural needs and situations. Some technological knowledge and processes became unique to specific cultural groups, with others crossing boundaries. A boundary is defined here as something that indicates confines or limits. Boundaries are represented in diverse ways in this paper, such as in ethnic, cultural, and geographical bounds. As humans evolved from apes they became bipedal, thus freeing their hands for other tasks. This evolution, coupled with the emergence of the thumb, enabled significant manipulation of the environment and materials, leading in turn to the development of technological outcomes and processes. As humans became distributed around the world, so did their technological know-how. Survival across a range of geological locations and climates meant the modification of existing technologies and processes, and emergence of others. The authors use their professional experience as technology educators to situate their arguments, and apply food preservation processes to illustrate similarities across technologies, which resulted from geological, cultural, and time boundaries. In some cases, these responses were a result of food supply issues, during times of short supply in droughts, winter, busy times, or travel. The article identifies two key ideas pertinent to a developing understanding of the nature of technology as defined in the New Zealand Curriculum; that technology has always been transformative, that technological development is not linear, but at times occurs in parallel—across geographical and cultural boundaries.

In a period where racial inequities in the United States have garnered more attention and discussion as a result of social media (e.g., increased use of the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag; Anderson et al., 2020) and newer generations (Tatum, 2017b), it is important to ensure that communication between cultural groups is effective and produces systemic change. This paper will review the failures of a “post-racial” society, with emphasis on ineffective communication between Black, Indigenous People of Color and non-Black, Indigenous People of Color. The role of the listener during intercultural verbal exchanges will be examined, while highlighting the barriers and harmful results of ineffective communication. A behavioral conceptualization of effective listener behavior will be presented, which if implemented, may maintain and sustain social equity, inclusion, and justice. A call to action will be made to further investigate intercultural communication using behavior-analytic research methodologies and how such research might inform on how to functionally and precisely mediate reinforcement in the fight against racism.

The ways caregivers perceive and respond to challenging behavior (CB) could depend, in part, on their cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Yet, limited research is available on the definitions, perceptions, and response strategies of CB across cultural groups, particularly among caregivers of young children with disabilities. In this exploratory multimethod study, data were collected from four diverse caregiver groups (i.e., Black, Korean American, Mexican American, and White) with young children with disabilities to understand (a) what behaviors they considered challenging and (b) how they responded to those behaviors. Data revealed similarities and differences in the types of behaviors reported and indicated caregivers rely on preplanned consequence strategies and unplanned responses.

The present research adopted both an individual and a sociocultural approach to expand previous knowledge of the mechanisms underlying reported variance in life satisfaction. Given the gratitude-oriented lifestyle and daily rituals of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, gratitude may serve as a central vehicle to its members’ high reported levels of life satisfaction. Thus, Study 1 explored the mediating role of gratitude through a cross-cultural comparison between ultra-Orthodox and secular samples. Study 2 explored the moderating effect of optimism on the relationship between the sociocultural group and gratitude, which, in turn, affects life satisfaction. Based on two matched samples of ultra-Orthodox and secular individuals, the findings indicate that the relationship between cultural group and life satisfaction was fully mediated by gratitude. Moreover, optimism was found to moderate the relationship between cultural group and gratitude so that the difference in gratitude levels between the two cultural groups was higher for individuals with low levels of optimism. The findings hold significant conceptual and practical implications for a better understanding of life satisfaction and its contributors.

Scales measuring cultural beliefs and values within African cultural contexts are rare. However, it is important to consider these beliefs to understand organizational behaviors in the actual context of the internationalization of work. This article presents a scale grasping cultural beliefs and values in Cameroon. Two questionnaire-based cross-sectional surveys were conducted on 525 participants (study 1) and 444 participants (study 2), all belonging to various cultural groups in Cameroon. The exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of data revealed three dimensions of cultural beliefs and values in Cameroon: beliefs and values associated with the protection and celebration of life, beliefs and values related to the identification with and belonging to a cultural group, and beliefs and values associated with manifestations of joy. The overall scale and its three dimensions had good psychometric properties in both studies. The importance of taking into account the cultural beliefs and values in intercultural studies is discussed.

Evolutionary Transitions in Individuality (ETI) have been responsible for the major transitions in levels of selection and individuality in natural history, such as the origins of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, multicellular organisms, and eusocial insects. The integrated hierarchical organization of life thereby emerged as groups of individuals repeatedly evolved into new and more complex kinds of individuals. The Social Protocell Hypothesis (SPH) proposes that the integrated hierarchical organization of human culture can also be understood as the outcome of an ETI—one that produced a “cultural organism” (a “sociont”) from a substrate of socially learned traditions that were contained in growing and dividing social communities. The SPH predicts that a threshold degree of evolutionary individuality would have been achieved by 2.0–2.5 Mya, followed by an increasing degree of evolutionary individuality as the ETI unfolded. We here assess the SPH by applying a battery of criteria—developed to assess evolutionary individuality in biological units—to cultural units across the evolutionary history of Homo. We find an increasing agreement with these criteria, which buttresses the claim that an ETI occurred in the cultural realm.

Abstract There is limited evidence of a link between Orthorexia Nervosa (ON) and Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and no definitive conclusions can be drawn. The interplay between socio-cultural context and ON has been poorly investigated as well. Therefore, the objectives of the present study were: (1) to investigate the differences in ON and OCD symptoms and (2) to assess the relationship between ON and OCD symptoms among university students. Six hundred and sixty-six university students participated in the present study: 286 from Poland and 320 from Italy. No age, gender and marital status differences were identified between two samples of university students. However, on average, Polish university students had a higher Body Mass Index than Italian ones. Our findings showed that Polish students present more problems related to obsessive symptomatology, core beliefs of OCD, perfectionism traits, and a major ON symptomatology than Italian ones. Also, Polish students with a higher level of ON exhibited higher levels of OCD symptoms and parental expectations/parental criticism. While Italian students with a higher level of ON showed higher levels of perfectionism features (organization and concern over mistakes). In general, correlations were low as confirmation of partial independence ON from OCD symptoms and core beliefs of OCD in both Polish and Italian university students. The present results highlight a need for further investigation of the correlates of ON across different cultural groups. Future research may screen individuals with ON to determine the comorbidity between ON and OCD symptomology to facilitate appropriate treatment choices. Level of evidence Level V, Opinions of respected authorities, based on descriptive studies, narrative reviews, clinical experience, or reports of expert committees.

This paper analyses culture as a determinant of technology adoption in a developing country. While the literature discusses the influence of culture upon economic growth, little attention has been paid to the mechanisms at the micro level. Therefore, we postulate that culture plays a crucial role in hindering or fostering the diffusion of innovation, a key trigger of the engine of growth. This empirical study uses the Ethiopia Rural Household Survey to disentangle between individual cultural traits, namely, ethnicity and religion, and the cultural homogeneity of the environment as co-determinants of fertiliser adoption. To examine our hypotheses, we apply a multivariate survival model for clustered and correlated observations to account for time and location effects. The results reveal significant differences in the probability of adopting fertiliser among cultural groups. Moreover, habits and social norms, proxied by ethnicity, provide a better explanation for the role of culture, than religious beliefs, as usually posited in the literature. Also, the cultural environment turns out tobe a decisive trigger. The probability of adoption is higher in rural societies with a homogeneous ethnic environment but distinct religious variety.

The goal of this paper was to explore the phenomenon of cyberbullying using a sociomaterialist sensitivity. Through the process, we discovered that cyberbullying is very much postdigital in nature. As part of a larger study, the data was collected via two semi-structured focus groups with sixteen youth, one focus group comprising four adults, and nine individual interviews with school and professional service personnel in Saskatchewan, Canada. The data was recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed for indications of (1) boundary crossings and (2) spatial, verbal, digital, social, and temporal characteristics of the crossings. We noted how cyberbullying crosses boundaries of location (school, home, and extra-curricular activities), time (time of day and time of year), age groups, cultural groups, technological platforms, and professional roles (law enforcement, principals, teachers, parents, and children). The results were examined relative to three relational patterns: networks (patterns of connectedness), fluids (patterns of variation), and regions (patterns of containment) (Sorensen 2009). We conclude that cyberbullying as a behavior has strength due to its fluidity (i.e., continuous mutation and exchange of members without loss of identity) and that digital technologies hasten cyberbullying through the ambiguation of boundaries (breakdown of regions). Digital anonymity may hinder the attribution of responsibility (identification of networks and participants) because, as a postdigital phenomenon, physical and digital boundaries that we ‘normally’ assign to our world lack clear differentiation. This paper provides an example of how a postdigital sensitivity can be applied in an empirical study and how we can gain new insights from engaging with research from a postdigital perspective.

Herding can be characterized as a coordination game with two strategies for minimising risk: increase herd size (livestock quantity) or increase livestock body mass (livestock quality). In this paper I demonstrate that the selection of herd maximisation as a risk management strategy in the Northern parts of Norway has been influenced by a history of intra-group competition exacerbating herder conflict and lack of trust. In the South herder-farmer conflicts have increased herder coordination and trust, resulting in the selection of increasing livestock quality as the dominant risk management strategy.

Many studies on visuospatial reasoning have drawn upon a psychological perspective. Importantly, some research has shown that spatial capabilities are developed through experiences and others emphasize the value of physical involvement. This article reports on investigations of how ecocultural experiences, that is cultural experiences in the environment, are examples of physical involvement that require thought and develop visuospatial reasoning about the environment. Such experiences and reasoning are significant in culture and in mathematical thinking. This article was developed by comparing and contrasting research reports from diverse cultural groups, my own studies and lived experiences. Most studies used ethnomethodologies through field work, unstructured interviews and yarning, that is talking about the experiences as they occur or in retrospect or in terms of cultural purpose and mathematical implications. Interestingly, many vignettes reveal close links to the traditional psychological spatial capabilities. Overarching many of the studies were cultural relationships between educators, learners and learning. These studies extend our understanding of visuospatial reasoning to show diverse approaches to many areas associated with school mathematics education. This is particularly noticeable in categorizing and using shapes and location and in the use of symmetry, measurement and proportional reasoning. Other findings were that past experiences within a particular ecocultural environment impact intentions, attention and noticing, which, in turn, affect mathematics learning and investigating. Examples of teaching from an ecocultural perspective to strengthen visuospatial reasoning in mathematics are discussed.

In the context of the recent migration crisis affecting Europe, and the impact it has had in its public and political landscapes, there is an urgent need to nurture and manage the value of intercultural societies. The quality of intercultural interaction, particularly in the context of public spaces, have a fundamental influence in shaping social and political attitudes about the coexistence of different cultural groups. This paper argues for the role that intercultural place-making has in articulating a meaningful and sustainable inclusion and participation of multiple cultural identities in shaping our urban and public realms, mediating and negotiating an intercultural cohabitation and exchange that could generate social capital and cohesion. The paper proposes a multi-scalar approach to the planning and implementation of intercultural place-making processes, in a way that these may better articulate the intercultural exchange with complex urban and social settings and networks, so to enhance their insertion and role in the construction of cohesive intercultural cities.

A significant percentage of red blood cell transfusions (RBCTs) are the result of overuse. The implementation of patient blood management (PBM) is challenging. We examined whether blood-linked myths and ethnic-cultural background factors are impediments to PBM education and implementation. Data about the influence of blood myths and diverse ethnic-cultural communities were collected from physicians in our medical center via an anonymous questionnaire which contained questions about myths as well as knowledge of blood transfusion. No statistical differences were found between ethnic and cultural groups regarding blood myths and cultural background influence, although the Jewish participants were less influenced by myths than their Arab colleagues. The influence of blood myths concerning the decision to transfuse exists in both studied ethnic groups. With regard to the association between knowledge and myths influence, we found that the greater the knowledge of the participant, the lower was the myths influence. In a significant proportion of our physician cohort, blood myths and cultural-ethnic status influenced their approach toward RBCT and can be considered an impediment in PBM education. A high knowledge level is associated with less myths influence. The myths and cultural-ethnic background may play a role in PBM education.

We propose Culinary Cultural Conservation (CCC) and Cultural Keystone Food Groups (CKFG) as ethnobotanical concepts. Our two-decade study of fresh food markets showed impressive crop-consistency across space (Puerto Rico to Connecticut, Vietnam to Australia and to the USA) and time (1993–2015). Notably, fresh, mostly tropical and imported, starchy crops (‘viandas’) are preferentially selected by the migrant Puerto Rican community in Connecticut, despite higher costs. We term this phenomenon Culinary Cultural Conservation (CCC), and argue that it may apply more generally across immigrant/migrant cultural groups and also extend to dry commodities (like rice). We suggest the dietary focus on viandas among fresh crops in immigrant/migrant Puerto Rican communities might represent a “keystone” analogous to keystone species in ecology, and the Cultural Keystone Species in ethnoecology. The new concept applies to a group of foods, and we therefore propose the term Cultural Keystone Food Group. We suggest that identification of CKFGs allows ethnobotanical comparisons of fresh commodity choices among cultures to be made efficiently and facilitates rapid assessments and analysis of ethnonutritional preferences and dietary conservation.

The present study was designed to examine the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and grit in community samples and to explore the potential moderating role of culture and meditation experience across the USA and Thai cultures. American and Thai participants completed a questionnaire which included measures of trait mindfulness and grit, CFA. Invariance tests were first conducted, and then the relationships between components of mindfulness and grit were examined within and across the two cultural groups. Lastly, a 3-way interaction regression analysis was conducted to examine and compare the moderating effect of meditation experience on the relationship between mindfulness and grit across the two cultures. Both the FFMQ-R and the Grit Scale demonstrated configural and metric invariance, but not scalar, across the two cultural groups. Path analyses revealed similar positive relationships between the five facets of mindfulness and grit across the two cultural groups. Contrary to prediction, meditation experience was found to be a non-significant moderator of the relationship between mindfulness and grit, which also did not differ across the two cultural groups. Measurement invariance findings suggest that the FFMQ-R and the Grit Scale in Thai samples possess utility. Results from the path analyses and moderation suggest that mindful individuals tend to also be gritty regardless of cultural backgrounds or meditative experience.

Due to the fast growing population of Chinese immigrants in the Western countries, parenting in Chinese immigrant families has gained increasing attention in research. This paper identifies the consistent and inconsistent findings among contemporary studies on the parenting in immigrant Chinese families from three aspects, including parental beliefs and values, parental expectations, and parenting practices. This paper presents a critical review of 30 relevant empirical studies published during 2007–2017. These studies were searched systematically searched from four databases—A+ Education, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), ProQuest, and PsycINFO are to identify relevant articles. Research inconsistency is shown in three places, including the inconsistency: (1) between the studies describing parenting in Chinese immigrant families as a collection of characteristics and the studies describing parenting as a changing process, (2) within the studies that define parenting in Chinese immigrant families as a collection of characteristics, and (3) within the studies that conceptualize parenting as a changing process. The study finds that the different nature of data, research settings, and data collection methods are the main possible reasons for the inconsistent or even contradictory findings. Despite the research inconsistency, categorizing parenting into cultural groups and perceiving parenting as a collection of static characteristics are the two major limitations of these studies. To overcome these limitations, this paper argues for breaking stereotypes and investigating parenting as a dynamic process instead of a collection of static traits.

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of cultural and language factors in moral decision-making in Hindi–English bilinguals in comparison with English monolinguals living in Australia. The study included 166 Hindi–English bilingual participants who completed the survey in either their first or second language, and a comparison group of 127 English monolingual participants. Participants were presented with six hypothetical moral dilemmas (original trolley/footbridge), Waterpark (impersonal/personal), Family Game Show (impersonal/personal) requiring them to either save the lives or winnings of five people by sacrificing the lives or winnings of one person or not and to make moral judgments about these decisions. A cultural effect was found in moral decision-making as individuals from a Western background were more likely to engage in utilitarian decision-making, and rate it as more appropriate, than those from an Indian background to the monetary-loss Waterpark and Family Game Show dilemmas. In addition, similarities were found in decision-making choices to the trolley and footbridge dilemmas in the two cultural groups. Overall, no significant foreign language effect was found in the Hindi–English bilinguals. The foreign language effect may not extend to more proficient second language learners or acculturated bilingual speakers.

Although many scholars continue to describe cultural differences in terms of the individualism–collectivism distinction, unidimensional measures seem unlikely to capture the richness of cultural variation in parents’ socialization goals for their children. Kagitcibasi’s (2009) theoretical model consists of a bidimensional approach with agency (autonomous to heteronomous) considered orthogonal to interpersonal distance (related to separate), yielding four quadrants. Kagitcibasi argued that countries like the United States fit into the autonomous-separate quadrant, traditional “majority-world” cultures into the heteronomous-related quadrant, and educated urbanized cultural groups in majority-world societies into the autonomous-related quadrant. Given conceptual problems with the scales Kagitcibasi used to measure these constructs, we developed, piloted, and validated the Related–Autonomous–Separate–Heteronomous (RASH) Scale and examined its psychometric properties and measurement invariance in a sample of Chinese (N = 464) and North American (N = 635) parents. Our results suggest that the four types of parental developmental goals (relatedness, separation, autonomy, and heteronomy) are not as neatly related as Kagitcibasi’s model assumes; specifically, the Chinese and North American parents in our study highly valued both autonomous and related developmental goals. Our validation of the RASH scale is an important first step to develop a more appropriate measure of parental socialization goals for cross-cultural investigation.

Drawing on the technology acceptance model, the theory of reasoned action, and the expectation-confirmation model, an integrated model was proposed to explore teenagers’ learning management system (LMS) acceptance and continuance. Based on the data collected from a longitudinal survey of 1182 junior secondary students in Hong Kong, the results of structural equation modelling (SEM) supported the hypothesised model. Key findings were peer and teacher influences and perceived ease of use demonstrated significant effects; whereas parental influence and perceived usefulness had no effect, on behavioural intention over time. Multi-group SEM was used to test whether the paths in the hypothesized model varied across teenagers with different immigrant backgrounds. The sample was classified into three cultural groups: 203 first-generation immigrant students (FG), 354 second-generation immigrant students (FG), and 521 non-immigrant student (Native). The results showed that cultural divides existed in the relations of the proposed model across the FG, SG, and Native groups. The FG group, who were Mainland China born immigrants, were significantly different from the Native group in terms of the effects of perceptions, use experience, parental influence, and peer influence on their learning satisfaction and behavioural intention. The SG and Native groups, students who were born in Hong Kong, were the least noticeable in significant path differences. To highlight, peer influence demonstrated significantly stronger relationships with the FG group’s intention at the initial use stage, and peer influence only had a significant relationship with satisfaction for the FG and SG group. Discussion and implications of the findings are presented.

The purpose of this study was to examine for ethnocultural differences in how adherence to a variety of Asian American values predict differentiation of self in a sample of 371 Asian and 164 Caucasian college students and adults living in North America. As a part of a larger project, participants completed both the Asian American Values Scale-Multidimensional and the Differentiation of Self Revised scale to assess levels of adherence to cultural values and differentiation of self, respectively. Results indicated that there were significant differences between the two cultural groups in the relationship between adherence to Asian American values and differentiation of self. Regression results further supported the hypothesis that specific Asian American values accounted for significant amount of variance in differentiation of self in Asian college students and adults living in North America. Implications for theory, clinical practice, and future research are included.

The purpose of this study is to test whether groups with different cultural cognition orientations construct different stories about the same policy issue given the same information. We employed a focus group methodology to assemble participants with similar cultural dispositions and used the Narrative Policy Framework to examine the policy narratives that groups form about campaign finance. Our analyses indicate that the stories these homogeneous cultural groups tell associate political process concerns related to campaign finance to their core cultural values. Even when provided with the same information, the stories that the groups produced varied along theoretically consistent cultural dimensions. Our findings show the narrative cores displayed similar attribution of the problem to intentional human action; however we observed variation in the manner in which certain characters were assigned blame, and significant differences in the density of several of the narrative networks. We found that differences in presence of victims emerged along the grid dimension of cultural cognition with egalitarian narratives cores possessing victims, whereas hierarchist narratives did not. A difference that emerged along the group dimension of cultural cognition was the core narrative of individualist groups generated policy solutions, while communitarian narrative cores did not.

The cultural groups that resided in the Early Iron Age Eurasian steppe in the first millennium BCE are well-known for the establishment of trade networks that became increasingly active with the advent of horse riding, resulting in the transmission of metal, iconography, and other material goods throughout the region. The spread of metal types and forms iconography can be examined and taken as supportive evidence for the social and cultural interactions that existed between mobile pastoralists, who transversed the steppe and surrounding territories, with each other and sedentary groups. To better understand the extent of these interactions, chemical and lead isotopic data for 104 copper-alloy objects were acquired from three prominent cultural groups that existed in Mongolia [Slab Grave (n = 45), Pazyryk (n = 26), and Chandmani (n = 33)] and used to ascertain ore exploitation preferences and metal circulation patterning. In this assemblage, there is a clear compositional difference between the artifacts that originated near the Altai-Sayan Mountains in western Mongolia and those from east of the Khangai Mountains. In the former, the artifacts are characteristically arsenical copper and contain antimony, suggesting the exploitation and smelting of local fahlore deposits. For the latter, the artifacts are more commonly tin bronze with arsenic and lead; a composition similar to the alloys found in contemporary northern China. Overall, the chemical composition and isotopic signatures of these objects are varied—even within the same cultural group's assemblage—and can be explained by the seasonal migration of Mongolian herding communities and a tendency to exploit metallogenically diverse ore deposits. The nomadic nature of these communities likely resulted in the varied exploitation of ores throughout the year and the mixing of new and existing metal stock from the steppe and abroad.

This thesis makes a comparative study of two internationally acclaimed texts of Holocaust literature, Isaac Bashevis Singer’s Enemies, a love story and Bernhard Schlink’s The reader. Special attention will be given to the sociopsychological world of Jews and Germans in the post-Holocaust era, namely the Jews’ collective anxiety and the Germans’ collective shame. While doing so, we will call into focus the traumatic symptoms of the two female protagonists Masha and Hanna respectively, and treat the widespread skepticism towards traditional religions and moral philosophy. The questions of how to reconcile the past and the present and how to face the future constitute the thematic core of the texts in case. Both texts reflect the historical catastrophe and reveal the scarred human psyche. They work to offer illuminating insights into the great complexity of human nature. The two texts are a compelling reminder that religious, political and cultural enmities and conflicts may result in irreparable individual and collective trauma, thus necessitating negotiation, dialogue and cooperation between different cultural groups in order to make constructive (rather than destructive) cultural choices.

The present study sought to determine if the positive association between positive mood and life satisfaction can be understood as a function of hope. Consistent with the broaden-and-build model of positive emotions, we tested the hypothesis that positive mood would be associated with broadening hope agency, building hope pathways, or both, in Western and Eastern cultural groups, namely, in an adult sample of European Americans (N = 228) and Asian Indians (N = 192), respectively. Results examining for bootstrapped mediation testing with multiple mediators indicated one consistent pattern across both groups. Specifically, positive mood was indirectly associated with life satisfaction through hope agency, but not through hope pathways. In addition, the initial association between positive mood and life satisfaction became nonsignificant once hope was included as a mediator for Asian Indians, but not for European Americans. In contrast, positive mood remained a significant predictor of life satisfaction for European Americans. Overall, the present findings suggest that one pan-cultural way in which positive mood might foster life satisfaction is by activating people’s belief that they have the ability to achieve their future goals. Some implications of the present findings are discussed.

Context People’s well-being is influenced by the ability to establish a bond with a place and attach meanings to it. Many studies show that the longer people reside in a place, the stronger their place attachment becomes. In today’s global societies, the length of residency is vastly reduced because of, e.g., individualistic lifestyles, global workplaces and forced migration (e.g., caused by war or climate change). This trend challenges landscape science: people increasingly need places (landscapes) that can be appropriated easily and quickly by many cultural groups. At the same time, however, these places should not simply become trivial and exchangeable.

In this paper, we review and advocate for a cultural neuroscience approach to studying culture and emotion regulation. First, we summarize theoretical accounts regarding how culture influences the way people experience and prefer to regulate their internal experiences and outward expression of emotions. Next, we briefly summarize physiological and neural indicators of affect and the regulation of affect including examining skin response and heart rate, spatial differences in BOLD hemodynamic responses, and event-related potentials. We then review extant cultural neuroscience studies examining differences in emotion regulation across cultural groups and highlight how these findings extend theory from more traditional methods and provide novel insights. Finally, we outline several issues the field faces moving forward and offer recommendations for best practices as well as offering future directions for a culturally informed affective neuroscience.

The collective action problem can easily undermine cooperation in groups. Recent work has shown that within-group heterogeneity can under some conditions promote voluntary provisioning of collective goods. Here we generalize this work for the case when individuals can not only contribute to the production of collective goods, but also punish free-riders. To do this, we extend the standard theory by allowing individuals to have limited foresight so they can anticipate actions of their group-mates. For humans, this is a realistic assumption because we possess a “theory of mind”. We use agent-based simulations to study collective actions that aim to overcome challenges from nature or win competition with neighboring groups. We contrast the dynamics of collective action in egalitarian and hierarchical groups. We show that foresight allows groups to overcome both the first- and second-order free-rider problems. While foresight increases cooperation, it does not necessarily result in higher payoffs. We show that while between-group conflicts promotes within-group cooperation, the effects of cultural group selection on cooperation are relatively small. Our models predict the emergence of a division of labor in which more powerful individuals specialize in punishment while less powerful individuals mostly contribute to the production of collective goods.

Solitude during adolescence is a potentially double edged sword. Involuntary (non-self-determined solitude) is associated with loneliness, which is known to predict many forms of psychological ill-being. In contrast, freely chosen (self-determined solitude) is associated with healthy developmental outcomes. It is possible that cultural attitudes towards solitude could influence the way adolescents think about and engage in solitude. The present study examined whether South African adolescents from individualist and collectivist cultures differ in their motivations for solitude, using the Motivation for Solitude Scale (MSS-SF). Respondents included 426 adolescents from collectivist and 266 from individualist cultures, between 14 and 18 years of age (mean age = 15.7). For valid cross-cultural comparisons, measurement equivalence was established using invariance and differential item functioning analysis. Results for the measurement invariance analysis (MI) marginally failed to support scalar invariance. Given criticism that MI is overly restrictive, Rasch analysis was used to test for uniform DIF, which supported invariance. Next, Bayesian analysis was used to investigate group differences. There was no difference between the cultural groups for non-self-determined solitude, but, adolescents from individualist cultures were less likely to engage in self-determined solitude. Results support the cross-cultural application of the MSS-SF, and point to a possible cultural bias against self-determined solitude in individualist cultures, despite its potential benefits.

There may be significant differences in coping styles across ethnicities. Previous research has suggested disparities in the number of individuals who utilize repressive adaptive coping style among cultural groups. Repressive adaptive style is a coping mechanism in which individuals report low distress levels while they actually experience high levels of stress. Developing an enhanced understanding of the prevalence of the utilization of repressive adaptive style in different ethnic groups is important for informing intervention techniques to better account for the cultural influences on mental health. The present study investigated the utilization of repressive adaptive style across American Indian (n = 31), African American (n = 53), and European American (n = 48) children in the Midwest. The age range of the children was 10 to 13 years and 50.8% were male. Dependent measures included the Children’s Social Desirability Scale and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children. Results indicated significant differences in reports of anxiety between ethnic groups. Additionally, it was discovered that African American and European American children utilized repressive adaptive style more than American Indian children, albeit not significantly. Because of the high rates of suicide and emotional distress believed to be experienced by American Indian children this result is interesting. Continued research investigating protective factors, such as high levels of cultural identity and connectedness, is warranted.

Relatively little is known about how resource conservation practices and institutions emerge. We examine the historical emergence of territoriality and conservation rules in Maine’s lobstering industry, using a cultural evolutionary perspective. Cultural evolution suggests that cultural adaptations such as practices and institutions arise as a result of evolutionary selection pressure. The cultural multilevel selection framework of Waring et al. (Ecol Soc, 2015) further proposes that group cultural adaptations tend to emerge at a level of social organization corresponding to the underlying dilemma. Drawing on detailed history and ethnography, we conduct a retrospective assessment to determine which levels of social organization experienced selection pressures that might explain the emergence of lobstering territoriality and conservation practices we observe in history. The evidence strongly suggests that informal territoriality evolved by selection on harbor gang behavior, while some conservation practices spread via selection at other levels from individuals to regional lobstering zones. We identify two apparent historical shifts in the dominant level of selection for these practices over the history of the industry and discuss the implications of this trajectory for the evolution of lobster management in the Gulf of Maine.

Patterns of plant use in human populations are context-specific and influenced by many different ecological and social factors like plant diversity and availability, and gender, age, and household structure. The aim of this study is to evaluate current levels of knowledge and use of native plant species in different sociocultural groups living in the same ecological area. We examine the association between an individual’s species knowledge and use and (1) species availability and (2) individual age, gender, and group pertinence. Data were collected through interviews with three different groups living in the municipality of Acu, Rio Grande do Norte (n = 233): an urban community, a local community of fishers, and a traditional community of self-identified indigenous people (Caboclos de Acu). The results show no correlation between knowledge/use and resource availability. Elders know and use more species than younger interviewees. Men know more species than women, but there is no difference between the number of species used by men and women. Group pertinence was related to both current levels of species knowledge and use: the urban community had less knowledge of the flora than the local and traditional communities. Regarding species uses, the traditional community uses more plants than the local community, and informants in the urban community use the least. Our results dovetail recent anthropological research suggesting that, despite other important cultural changes, the Caboclos de Acu continue to maintain at least part of their traditional knowledge system, probably because they depend on the use of plant resources for their livelihood. Overall, our results highlight the predominance of culture above the environment in driving plant use and knowledge.

This study examined a model of independent and interdependent self-construal, individual and collective self-esteem, and subjective well-being in a sample of college students from the mainland USA, Hawaii, and Japan. Specifically, the mediation role of individual as well as collective self-esteem in the effects of independent and interdependent self-construal on subjective well-being was explored. Results indicated that the hypothesized model fit well. The study found the direct effects of independent self-construal on subjective well-being in all three cultural groups. Collective self-esteem was a significant mediator of the effects of both independent and interdependent self-construal on subjective well-being only in the mainland USA. The negative effect of interdependent self-construal on collective self-esteem was observed only in the mainland USA. Better understanding of both universal and culture-specific aspects of collective self-esteem in promoting subjective well-being seems essential for further theoretical development as well as effective prevention/intervention efforts across three cultural groups.

The aim of this study was to explore students’ attitudes towards counseling at a South African institution of higher education. The influence of stigma (public and self-stigma), anticipated risk, and utility associated with disclosing information was also investigated, including the role of gender and culture. Using a mixed-method design, quantitative data were gathered from scales and qualitative data were based on the nominal group technique and follow-up discussions. Participants included third-year students from the Black Sesotho-Setswana-speaking and White Afrikaans-speaking cultural groups, either with or without counseling experience (those who have received counseling and those who have not). Statistically significant differences in attitudes were found across gender, cultural groups, and counseling experience. Furthermore, self-stigma and anticipated utility associated with disclosing information provided significant, unique explanations for the variance in students’ attitudes. Among the themes emerging from the analyses, secrecy was prominent. Furthermore, two contrasting themes emerged regarding being in counseling and indicated being flawed versus being courageous. Specific gender dynamics and social norms regarding counseling were also observed, with the general opinion being that it is more acceptable for female students to seek counseling. Considering the prevalence of adjustment and mental health problems in the South African student population, as well as the underutilization of counseling services, the results of the current study provide valuable information for student counseling and development centers at universities on how to engage more effectively with a diverse student population and how to make counseling services more accessible and appealing.

The study examined whether coping styles (reflective, suppressive, and reactive coping) predict the level of psychological well-being among international students, studying at German universities and living in a situation where the impact of acculturation stress is supposed to be rather high. In particular, we looked for any differences in preferred coping styles of university students belonging to diverse cultures to find out whether there are differential associations between coping styles and culture. The participants were 235 Asian, 204 European, and 94 Latin American students who were recruited with the support of offices of student’s affairs of universities. They completed an online survey comprising the WHO Well-Being Index (WHO-5), the Problem-focused Styles of Coping Inventory (PF-SOC), Student Stress Inventory (SSI), and a socio-demographic questionnaire. After controlling for socio-demographic variables which showed hardly any influence on well-being, coping exerted a high influence on the affective and functional state of international students. Suppressive coping turned out to be a relatively stronger predictor of a low level of psychological well-being in all three cultural groups, whereas reflective coping is predictive of a high level of psychological well-being. Also, reactive coping is rather dysfunctional but much less so than suppressive coping. Cultural group was found to be a significant predictor of coping styles. There were no significant differences in the level of well-being among the cultural groups, with about 40% being beyond a cut-off point signalling a depressive state. Counseling services need to pay attention to the relatively high percentage of students with poor psychological wellbeing. Improving students’ coping strategies may be an efficient way to improve their psychological well-being in academic/university and general life contexts.

Goals are important predictors of key educational outcomes. However, most of the research on goal theory has been conducted in Western societies. In this study we examine how different types of goals (mastery, performance, social, and extrinsic) derived from personal investment theory are associated with key learning outcomes across nine cultural groups. Adopting a universalist approach with regard to the role of culture on motivation, we found evidence for both cultural similarities and differences. In terms of cross-cultural similarities, we found that the four-factor goal structure was replicated and that mastery goal was associated with adaptive outcomes across most of the cultures examined. In terms of cross-cultural differences, we found that the association of performance, social, and extrinsic goals to valued educational outcomes varied as a function of context. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

According to CAD theory, different moral domains are associated with different emotions: (C) community violations with contempt, (A) autonomy violations with anger, and (D) divinity violations with disgust. Do people from different cultural groups make the same associations? Three studies (Ns = 120, 240, 240) tested the CAD theory. Participants from three cultural groups—North Americans, North Indians, and South Indians—associated emotions (with words or facial expressions) with vignettes of moral violations. Across all three cultures, moral violations were associated with more than one emotion: all negative rather than positive, anger for most, and disgust for violations involving sex and pathogens. CAD faired poorly, with C and A collapsing, and D limited to sex and pathogens.

Starting from questions about the nature of cultural diversity, this paper examines the pace and tempo of change and the relative importance of continuity and discontinuity. To unravel the cultural project of the past, we apply chronological modelling of radiocarbon dates within a Bayesian statistical framework, to interrogate the Neolithic cultural sequence in Lower Alsace, in the upper Rhine valley, in broad terms from the later sixth to the end of the fifth millennium cal BC. Detailed formal estimates are provided for the long succession of cultural groups, from the early Neolithic Linear Pottery culture (LBK) to the Bischheim Occidental du Rhin Supérieur (BORS) groups at the end of the Middle Neolithic, using seriation and typology of pottery as the starting point in modelling. The rate of ceramic change, as well as frequent shifts in the nature, location and density of settlements, are documented in detail, down to lifetime and generational timescales. This reveals a Neolithic world in Lower Alsace busy with comings and goings, tinkerings and adjustments, and relocations and realignments. A significant hiatus is identified between the end of the LBK and the start of the Hinkelstein group, in the early part of the fifth millennium cal BC. On the basis of modelling of existing dates for other parts of the Rhineland, this appears to be a wider phenomenon, and possible explanations are discussed; full reoccupation of the landscape is only seen in the Grossgartach phase. Radical shifts are also proposed at the end of the Middle Neolithic. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10816-016-9307-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The relationship between humans and nature is defined by culture. Accordingly, the use, conceptions, and perceptions of resources differ among cultural groups, even among those inhabiting the same region or those who come into contact with the same biota. In particular, mushrooms evoke a wide range of sentiments. During ethnobiological tours in Mexico, semi-structured interviews were carried out with 37 individuals of each community, from ten Wixarika and mestizo communities, living in the same locality and sharing similar resources, in the municipality of Villa Guerrero in northern Jalisco, Mexico. Furthermore, informal interviews with four Wixarika and five mestizo key informants were conducted. The topics treated were regarding the traditional nomenclature and classification, uses, and knowledge of mushrooms and related practices. Wixarika names of 37 mushroom species with edible, medicinal, and recreational uses were recorded. In addition, the Wixaritari were found to associate toxic mushrooms with the divine, as evidenced by one case of the use of mushrooms as a hierophanic agent. Each culture’s knowledge of the phenology and ecology of mushrooms was recorded in addition to data highlighting the cultural exchange between the Wixaritari and mestizos. However, a loss in the knowledge and practices concerning mushrooms was observed as a result of social changes. Even so, both cultures prefer mushrooms to other foods, including meat, especially Volvariella bombycina and Pleurotus djamor.

Based on ecocultural theory, this study utilizes focus group interviews to explore the ways Latino immigrant mothers and fathers transmit the values and beliefs they wish their young children to internalize. Findings suggest that parents purposely “pick and choose” values they deem “Latino,” such as the importance of family and values they deem “American,” such as independence, to pass on to their children. Parents recognized three main barriers that might stand in their way of teaching their children to adapt to two cultural groups: balancing work and family, low self-esteem, and lack of good parental role models. However, they also pointed out two sources of strength that can help them overcome these barriers: optimism and motivation. This study provides a basis for generating hypotheses to be tested with larger datasets and informs the development of theory and culturally sensitive interventions and measures to evaluate Latino parenting.

Reviews of problem gambling (PG) literature increasingly recognize the ways in which different ethnic groups are affected by gambling behaviors, yet discourse, which considers sociocultural factors within PG, remains limited. Literature on this topic is influenced by large inconsistencies amongst research studies, overlapping terminology, and variability in the validity of research studies, making conclusions difficult to draw. Despite these discrepancies, this paper explores how sociocultural factors influence PG among diverse cultural groups and provides specific practical implications for treating PG disorders in culturally diverse populations. Notable factors that exacerbate PG behavior cross-culturally include substance abuse, low socioeconomic status, lack of social activities, and geographic location. Culturally sensitive treatment options such as Motivational Interviewing and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy have been identified as effective treatments for PG with culturally diverse populations. This paper extends current thought by providing practical treatment recommendations that consider the subtle nuances of diverse populations. It explains how treatment providers and behavioral addiction professionals can increase their understanding and skills when conceptualizing PG clients from a diverse background.

Recent literature has shed light on changes in the development of personal identity as a result of globalization, but the development of professional identity in the era of globalization has not yet been examined. To fill this gap, we analyzed this issue in light of the traditional construction of the social work profession, the paradigm of cultural competence and cultural relativism, and International Social Work programs. The analysis revealed that professional efforts to cope with globalization might have the opposite effect by reinforcing individualism, nationalism, and oppression, as well as by reinforcing hierarchical power relations among different cultural groups and residents of Northern and Southern countries. In light of this situation, it is important to recognize the need for a complex professional identity that interweaves indigenous, local, global, and universalistic thinking with perceptions based on the new declarations of the social work profession. As such, further research and continuing professional discussions and elaboration are recommended.

Namibia has one of the most dehumanising and destructive colonial pasts of any nation in Africa, or, for that matter, the world. Before colonisation, the area now known as Namibia was home to diverse cultural groups. The successive colonial regimes of Germany and South Africa inflicted genocide, brutality and apartheid on the region. Namibia finally fought for and won its independence in 1990 – over three decades after Ghana became the first independent sub-Saharan nation in 1957. Today, Namibia strives to leave behind its troubled past and harness the power of education to provide greater equality of opportunity and quality of life for all of its citizens. The concept of ubuntu, with its emphasis on inclusiveness, equity and equality, is central to Namibia’s pursuit of this goal. Significant challenges stand in its way, including extreme poverty, an emerging economy struggling with drought and a competitive world market, and a populace with multiple mother tongues and cultural traditions. After a brief summary of Namibia’s colonial past, this study examines these challenges, noting that the same factors that provide Namibia with a rich and diverse cultural tapestry also pose great difficulties for educators determined to provide equitable education for all. Current inequities in Namibian education are assessed, with a particular focus on the divide between urban and rural Namibia and between the four major ethnic and cultural groupings: the White Afrikaans speakers, the Black African majority, the Coloured population, and the Basters. The study concludes by suggesting multiple ways in which education could be brought closer into line with ubuntu values. The author argues that the very same factors that currently pose challenges to the quality and equity of Namibian education (ethnicity, urban/rural location, gender and socioeconomic class) might, if seen from a new perspective, become the basis for educational transformation.

Research ethics principles and regulations typically have been applied to the protection of individual human subjects. Yet, new paradigms of research that include the place-based community and cultural groups as partners or participants of environmental research interventions, in particular, require attention to place-based identities and geographical contexts. This paper argues the importance of respecting “place” within human subjects protections applied to communities and cultural groups as part of a critical need for research ethics and cultural competence training for graduate research students. These protections and benefits are extensions of the Belmont Principles and have been included in recent recommendations from research regulatory committees.

Background To date, limited research has been dedicated to exploring the experience of decision-making for chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients who have initiated dialysis and have to make decisions in the context of managing multiple illnesses. Evidence about the experience of decision-making for minority or disadvantaged groups living with CKD (e.g. culturally and linguistically diverse adults; those with lower health literacy or cognitive impairment) is also lacking. This study aimed to explore the experience of healthcare decision-making among culturally and linguistically diverse adults receiving in-centre haemodialysis for advanced CKD. Methods Semi-structured interviews with English or Arabic-speaking adults recruited from four large haemodialysis units in Greater Western Sydney, Australia using stratified, purposive sampling. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using the Framework method. Results Interviews were conducted with 35 participants from a range of cultural backgrounds (26 English-language; 9 Arabic-language). One quarter had limited health literacy as assessed by the Single Item Literacy Screener. Four major themes were identified from the data, highlighting that participants had limited awareness of decision-points throughout the CKD trajectory (other than the decision to initiate dialysis), expressed passivity regarding their involvement in healthcare decisions, and reported inconsistent information provision within and across dialysis units. There was diversity within cultural and linguistic groups in terms of preferences and beliefs regarding religiosity, decision-making and internalised prototypical cultural values. Conclusion Without sustained effort, adults living with CKD may be uninformed about decision points throughout the CKD trajectory and/or unengaged in the process of making decisions. While culture may be an important component of people’s lives, cultural assumptions may oversimplify the diverse individual differences that exist within cultural groups. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12882-018-1131-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background\ud A number of Delphi expert consensus studies have been carried out with different countries and cultural groups to develop guidelines on how a member of the public should provide assistance to a person who is suicidal.\ud The present study aimed to determine whether cross-culturally generalizable suicide first aid actions are possible by comparing agreement across these Delphi studies.\ud \ud Methods\ud Data on endorsement rates for items were compared across six Delphi studies.\ud These studies involved panels of professionals and consumer advocates from English-speaking countries, professionals from Sri Lanka, professionals from Japan, professionals from India, professionals from the Philippines, and professionals and consumer advocates in refugee and immigrant mental health. Correlations were calculated between item endorsement rates across\ud panels.\ud \ud Results\ud There were 18 items that were highly endorsed across all eight of the Delphi panels and an additional 15 items highly endorsed across the panels from the three lower middle-income countries (India, Philippines and Sri Lanka).\ud Correlations across panels in item endorsement rates were all 0.60 or above, but were higher between panels from countries that are socioeconomically similar.\ud \ud Conclusions\ud There is broad agreement across the diverse expert panels about what are appropriate suicide first aid actions for members of the public, indicating that cross-cultural generalizability is possible. However, there is also some\ud cultural specificity, indicating the need for local tailoring.

Loneliness is an adverse phenomenon that tends to peak during adolescence. As loneliness is a subjective state, it is different from the objective state of being alone. People’s attitudes toward being alone can be more or less negative or positive. Cultures differ in the form and meaning of social behavior, interpersonal relationships, and time spent alone. However, for cross-cultural comparisons to be meaningful, measurement invariance of the measure should be established. The present study examined measurement invariance of the Loneliness and Aloneness Scale for Children and Adolescents (LACA) in a sample of 218 Belgian and 190 Chinese early adolescents, aged 11–15 years. Using nested multigroup confirmatory factor analyses, measurement invariance of the LACA across Belgium and China was established. More specifically, evidence was found for configural, metric, and partial scalar invariance. Because partial scalar invariance was established, the two cultural groups could be compared. No significant differences were found for peer-related loneliness. Regarding the attitudes toward aloneness, Belgian adolescents were more negative and less positive toward being alone than Chinese adolescents. The present study is encouraging for researchers who want to use the LACA for cross-cultural comparisons, in that we found evidence for measurement invariance across two disparate cultural groups speaking completely different languages. ispartof: Journal of Child and Family Studies vol:25 issue:5 pages:1408-1415 status: published

Asian Indian immigrant parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) have unique experiences and challenges grounded within their cultural contexts and migration to United States. This study sought to describe these experiences using qualitative method. Open-ended interviews were individually conducted with 15 Asian Indian parents (8 mothers, 7 fathers) whose children were diagnosed with Down Syndrome, Autistic Disorder, or Pervasive Developmental Disorder- Not Otherwise Specified. Qualitative analysis generated 16 themes that were grouped into five domains: Cultural explanations, community response, and migration; impact on the self and family; sources of stress and support; a unique parenting approach; and hopes and fears for the future. In particular, parents described their local community’s initial struggles with acceptance of IDD grounded within religious explanations of the disability. Similar to parents of children with IDD from other cultural groups, these parents described family support, broader social awareness and acceptance, and access to resources as sources of support and the lack of these factors as contributing to stress. A unique parenting approach emerged in reference to the child with IDD that included adjusting academic aspirations for the child, taking a practical, “1 day at a time” approach, and efforts to pass on cultural heritage. Parents voiced concerns about the future care of their child when they would not be around, as well as their hopes. These findings suggest the importance of attending to cultural meanings and local contexts when understanding parenting experiences.

The last two decades have seen an explosion in research analysing cultural change as a Darwinian evolutionary process. Here I provide an overview of the theory of cultural evolution, including its intellectual history, major theoretical tenets and methods, key findings, and prominent criticisms and controversies. ‘Culture’ is defined as socially transmitted information. Cultural evolution is the theory that this socially transmitted information evolves in the manner laid out by Darwin in The Origin of Species, i.e. it comprises a system of variation, differential fitness and inheritance. Cultural evolution is not, however, neo-Darwinian, in that many of the details of genetic evolution may not apply, such as particulate inheritance and random mutation. Following a brief history of this idea, I review theoretical and empirical studies of cultural microevolution, which entails both selection-like processes wherein some cultural variants are more likely to be acquired and transmitted than others, plus transformative processes that alter cultural information during transmission. I also review how phylogenetic methods have been used to reconstruct cultural macroevolution, including the evolution of languages, technology and social organisation. Finally, I discuss recent controversies and debates, including the extent to which culture is proximate or ultimate, the relative role of selective and transformative processes in cultural evolution, the basis of cumulative cultural evolution, the evolution of large-scale human cooperation, and whether social learning is learned or innate. I conclude by highlighting the value of using evolutionary methods to study culture for both the social and biological sciences.