Use of cultural criterion groups and discriminant analysis in acculturation studies

Based on the argument that empirically verified cultural distance, rather than proximity to a set of arbitrarily determined cultural elements of the host culture, should be the base for the assessment of acculturation level, this report demonstrates methodological procedures involving the use of criterion groups and discriminant analysis for measuring cultural distance. Specifically, 158 Koreans in Korea and 125 Americans served as criterion groups who responded to a series of value statements. Discriminant analysis results indicate that this procedure is extremely useful in identifying value judgments and their relative weights, which contribute to the maximal distance between the two cultures. Classification and cross-validation results also exhibit that an individual's cultural identity can be predicted with an accuracy higher than 90%.