Individual-vs. culture-level dimensions of individualism and collectivism: effects on preferred conversational styles

The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not 'self-construals' (Markus & Kitayama, 1991) are an aspect of culture that accounts for the perceived importance of conversational constraints. To spell out the way in which culture influences communication styles, we developed a mediation model. The model assumes that the perceived importance of conversational constraints is determined by values, e.g., independent versus interdependent self-construals, and that values (self-construals) are determined in part by culture. Participants were 972 undergraduates studying in Korea, Japan, Hawai'i, and the mainland United States. After being presented with six situations, participants rated the perceived importance of each of three constraints in relation to each situation. They then completed a scale reflecting the independent and interdependent dimensions of their self-construals. The results were consistent with the proposed mediation model. Culture-level individualism influenced independent self-construals, which, in turn, correlated positively with the two outcome-oriented conversational constraints. The study also showed that culture-level collectivism affects interdependent self-construals, and, in turn, correlated positively with the three relational constraints. Of the various self-construal patterns, individuals simultaneously maintaining high independent and high interdependent construals ('biculturals') had the highest totals for the importance ratings of all the constraints combined, even though the mean for biculturals did not significantly differ from the mean for interdependents (low independent and high interdependent self-construals).