British and American Young Adults' Cross-Cultural Stereotypes of Regret and Shame
Poster Number
05
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Psychology
Faculty Mentor
Merry Sleigh, Ph.D.
Abstract
Stereotypes are beliefs and attitudes held about groups and their group members (McCauley, Jussim, & Lee, 1995). Our study examined the possibility of stereotypes that British and American young adults might have of each other related to regret, shame, and guilt. We hypothesized that the two cultures would perceive each other more inaccurately than accurately. British (n = 85) and American (n = 120) young adults completed an online survey. Participants were asked to briefly describe one thing in their lives that they regretted the most. Next, participants were instructed to respond to statements about the regretted event, such as “I feel strong regret when I think about this situation.” In the last part of the survey, participants were instructed to picture themselves as members of the opposite cultural group (British or American) and to answer the same set of questions (described above) as members of that group. Results revealed that regretted events were similar across cultures. British participants perceived Americans as more emotional in response to regret, while Americans did not hold the same view of British participants. British participants also perceived that Americans would agree that the guilt resulting from the event was difficult to bear, and that Americans would spend time wishing the situation had not occurred. In contrast to our hypothesis, we found that British and American young adults revealed many similarities and mostly accurate perceptions of one another. Our findings offer a new cross-cultural comparison between these two groups.
Start Date
24-4-2015 1:20 PM
End Date
24-4-2015 2:50 PM
British and American Young Adults' Cross-Cultural Stereotypes of Regret and Shame
Richardson Ballroom
Stereotypes are beliefs and attitudes held about groups and their group members (McCauley, Jussim, & Lee, 1995). Our study examined the possibility of stereotypes that British and American young adults might have of each other related to regret, shame, and guilt. We hypothesized that the two cultures would perceive each other more inaccurately than accurately. British (n = 85) and American (n = 120) young adults completed an online survey. Participants were asked to briefly describe one thing in their lives that they regretted the most. Next, participants were instructed to respond to statements about the regretted event, such as “I feel strong regret when I think about this situation.” In the last part of the survey, participants were instructed to picture themselves as members of the opposite cultural group (British or American) and to answer the same set of questions (described above) as members of that group. Results revealed that regretted events were similar across cultures. British participants perceived Americans as more emotional in response to regret, while Americans did not hold the same view of British participants. British participants also perceived that Americans would agree that the guilt resulting from the event was difficult to bear, and that Americans would spend time wishing the situation had not occurred. In contrast to our hypothesis, we found that British and American young adults revealed many similarities and mostly accurate perceptions of one another. Our findings offer a new cross-cultural comparison between these two groups.
