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Purpose: This paper aims to present an approach to intercultural training (IT) in which course participants are informed about various approaches to differences between peoples. Pitfalls in communication are identified that are due to overgeneralization of incidental observations of behavior and to psychological mechanisms such as stereotyping, ethnocentrism and attribution. Effects of poor command of a second language and paralinguistic factors are also included. Design/methodology/approach: Intercultural communication training or IT programs often over-generalize incidental observations and make attributions about broad differences between "us" and "others". An approach to IT is described that challenges the way in which notions about "culture" and "cultures" tend to be used. Findings: A training module based on the principles mentioned is described that was originally developed for military officers preparing for international peace-keeping and peace-building missions and later has been administered in various settings and countries. Research limitations/implications: An exit questionnaire and postmission interviews have suggested positive effects of the training, but more systematic evaluation research is needed. Practical implications: Cross-cultural communication (3C) training is mostly about how other people differ from "us". Better understanding may be gained with an approach that emphasizes how much humans everywhere are alike and that perceived differences can also be in the eye of the beholder. Social implications: Mutual understanding is critical to positive interaction. The approach to 3C training taken here explains how much humans everywhere are alike and puts manifest differences into perspective. Originality/value: The training module builds on available knowledge, notably from cross-cultural psychology. Except for a questionnaire to demonstrate ethnocentrism, there is hardly new information. However, the approach arranges available knowledge in a way that is rather novel for the field of 3C training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We comment on the argument by Welzel, Brunkert, Kruse and Inglehart (2021) that theoretically expected associations in nomological networks should take priority over invariance tests in cross-national research. We agree that narrow application of individual tools, such as multi-group confirmatory factor analysis with data that violates the assumptions of these techniques, can be misleading. However, findings that fit expectations of nomological networks may not be free of bias. We present supporting evidence of systematic bias affecting nomological network relationships from a) previous research on intelligence and response styles, b) two simulation studies, and c) data on the choice index from the World Value Survey (WVS). Our main point is that nomological network analysis by itself is insufficient to rule out systematic bias in data. We point out how a thoughtful exploration of sources of biases in cross-national data can contribute to stronger theory development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Administered two intelligence batteries and a computer-assisted elementary cognitive test battery to 474 second-generation migrant and 747 majority-group students, aged 6 to 12 years, in the Netherlands. Findings suggest that performance differences between these groups are better predicted by a cultural complexity ("c") factor than by cognitive "g." (SLD)

Traces the history of the International Test Commission (ITC), reviewing the context in which it was formed, its goals, and major milestones in its development. Suggests ways the ITC may continue to impact test development positively, and introduces this inaugural journal issue. (SLD)

The authors examine the cross-cultural equivalence of the internal structure of the values domain, as measured by the Schwartz Value Survey. Data come from 38 countries, each represented by a student and a teacher sample. In seeking to distinguish lack of fit of the theorized value model from a lack of equivalence in the data and the impact of random sampling fluctuations from valid structural differences, the authors find the following: (a) The Schwartz value theory provides an excellent representation of the average value structure across samples; (b) sampling fluctuation causes deviations from this average structure; (c) sampling fluctuation cannot account for all these deviations; (d) samples of students fit the overall value structure better than samples of teachers, and samples from Western countries better than those from non-Western countries; and (e) the deviations from the average structure exhibit a systematic pattern: the higher the level of societal development of a country, the greater the contrast between protection and growth values. Keywords: values; structural equivalence; Schwartz Value Survey

In this article, the authors discuss the transfer to Guatemala of an integral health education program, originally developed for indigenous women in southern Mexico. The program was implemented with some 400 indigenous women in rural Guatemala living under dire poverty, and was carried out through a closely supervised cascade process in which specially trained local women conducted workshops to their fellow countrywomen. The program aimed at imparting knowledge as well as enabling changes in behavior with respect to everyday life issues, including nutrition, hygiene, sanitation, and sexual and reproductive health. Evaluation of the impact through questionnaires and direct observations showed significant increases in knowledge and actual behaviors. Keywords: health education; health programs; agency; Guatemala; social desirability

Interpretations of cross-cultural differences in performance on cognitive tasks tend to rely on broad concepts, such as general intelligence or cultural modes of thinking. In this study, the authors examine two proximate parameters, stimulus complexity and task exposure, using reaction time (RT) and event-related brain potentials (ERPs) recorded during various tasks. Five tasks differed in complexity but had similar stimulus content; one task had stimuli of different appearance. Test trials were administered across three days. Participants were trained on most tasks for two days. There were three samples, rural Venda youngsters in South Africa with little schooling, Venda university students, and Dutch university students. Cross-cultural differences in RT increased with task complexity and decreased with exposure. Substantial correspondence was found between patterns of RT and latency of the N2, an ERP component related to stimulus categorization. Our results fit an explanation in terms of task familiarity. Implications for culture-cognition relationships are discussed. Keywords: cognitive tasks; cross-cultural differences; reaction time; N2; event-related potentials; lateralized readiness potential; stimulus categorization; stimulus familiarity; task familiarity

The Raramuri Indians in Mexico use 1 word for guilt and shame. In this article, the authors show that the Raramuri nevertheless differentiate between shame and guilt characteristics, similar to cultural populations that use 2 words for these emotions. Emotion-eliciting situations were collected among the Raramuri and among rural Javanese and were rated on shame and guilt by Dutch and Indonesian students. These ratings were used to select 18 shame-eliciting and guilt-eliciting situations as stimuli. The Raramuri (N = 229) and the Javanese (N = 213) rated the situations on 29 emotion characteristics that previously had been found to differentiate shame from guilt in an international student sample. For most characteristics, a pattern of differentiation similar to that found among the students was found for both the Javanese and the Raramuri. Keywords: emotion, shame, guilt, cross-cultural, culture

Theoretical variables were examined for their empirical relevance as precursors of safer-sex behavior in 2,011 Mexican adolescents, most of whom were not sexually experienced. Using structural equation modeling, a good fit was found for a path model with (a) partner communication and intention to use condoms as outcome variables; (b) sell-esteem, self-efficacy, and decision making as antecedent variables; and (c) perceived norms about sexual practices, attitudes toward condom use, and knowledge of HIV as mediating variables. A good fit also was found for a slightly elaborated model involving condom use as outcome variable that was fitted in a subsample with 319 adolescents who reported sexual experience. Gender differences are discussed, as well as implications for intervention programs promoting safer-sex behaviors.

In cross-cultural studies with social variables such as values or attitudes, it is often assumed that differences in scores can be compared at face value. However, response styles like acquiescence and extreme response style may affect answers, particularly on rating scales. In three sets of data from marketing studies, each with representative samples from at least three out of six countries (Greece, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom), these two response styles were found to be more present in the Mediterranean than in Northwestern Europe. Evidence for response style effects was not only found in response distributions on rating scales, but also in discrepancies of these distributions with national consumer statistics and self-reported actual behavior. Keywords: method bias; response styles; acquiescence; extreme response style; countries in the European Union

Patterns of scores on measures of the strength of current caregiver/care receiver relationship quality (adult attachment, closeness, and conflict) and measures of parent care (filial concern, caregiver burden, and amount of parent care given) were examined in India and Belgium (Flanders) with middle-aged women looking after their mother and/or mother-in-law. Patterns of scores in care receivers' ratings of current bonds with their daughters and daughters-in-law were also investigated. The results suggested that the relationship between daughter-in-law and mother-in-law is relatively less close in India than in Belgium. In contrast, patterns of variables related to actual behavior follow cultural prescriptions, with Indian daughters-in-law providing more care for their mothers-in-law. It is concluded that cultural demands will determine actual behavior but have, at most, a limited influence when it comes to deep-rooted interpersonal relations, such as the attachment between mother and daughter.

One of the tasks of psychology is to promote positive changes in individual health behavior. Interventions to bring about these changes should be directed at skills, knowledge, and beliefs pertinent to specific situations. Maintenance of change is facilitated by a conducive context. A conceptual framework is presented that reflects these concerns. A systematic strategy is also outlined that includes needs analysis, development and piloting of programs, as well as advocacy and dissemination for large-scale implementation. A program aimed at enhancing the role of pharmacy sales staff in HIV/AIDS prevention in Mexico is presented to illustrate how the framework and strategy are used.

This contribution presents a set of intervention programs in the area of reproductive health, sexuality, and life-skills education that are now widely used in Mexico and with Latin American populations elsewhere. First, the authors briefly indicate how a research-informed approach has been central to the development and implementation of these interventions. Thereafter they describe how the programs were initially designed, taking into consideration the Mexican cultural context and its implications for Mexican adolescents. They also mention subsequent evaluation-based extensions of the programs to reach other target populations, to broaden the range of issues addressed, to promote their dissemination, and to advocate society-wide sexuality and life-skills education.