Essay On Collectivism And Individualism

Culture forms the framework for our thoughts and behavior and is defined as sets of values and principles individuals have about how nature and society work, as well as the norms of behavior, derived from that set of values (Gorodnichenko & Roland, 2014). According to Heine (2012), cultures that are individualistic include a variety of customs that encourage individuals to place their own personal goals ahead of those of the collective. In contrast, cultures that are collectivistic include many cultural practices, institutions, and customs that encourage individuals to place more emphasis on collective goals. Furthermore, the dimensions of collectivism and individualism help us to understand cultural differences in a wide variety of psychological

The moon task exercise was located in the middle of the table and was not accessible until timing began. The video recorder was situated in the corner of the room, making it easier to view each participant. The independent variable of this study was the culture (individualistic or collectivistic), while the dependent variables were their ranking styles and decision-making abilities. The experiment was recorded to observe any type of dominanc that might unfold during the

The experiment was repeated multiple times by breaking down the participants into smaller groups; 30 groups of 5 Canadians, and 30 groups of 5 Chinese people. Each group was presented with the moon task. In the moon task, or the “NASA Exercise: Survival on the Moon”, group members were instructed to rank the importance of the survival items first individually, (~10 min), and then in groups (15 min.). During the group part of the exercise, all groups were instructed to employ the method of group consensus, which required each group member to agree upon the rankings for each of the 15 survival items before the item became a part of the group decision (Hall and Watson, 1970). Once all individuals had completed the task and recorded their individual votes on their scoresheets, the group members proceeded to discuss their answers together. As a group, they were given 25-30 minutes to decide on how to reach a group decision about the ranking of the survival items. This way, groups can decide whether to resolve differences through a collective vote or by further