Seeing the good and bad in culture: An exploration of the construct of cultural complexity

Abstract

This research aimed to explore cultural complexity, a novel construct defined as variability in the level of agreement between one’s personal beliefs and the perceived important norms in one’s culture. Simply put, individuals who exhibit high levels of cultural complexity tend to notice both positive and negative aspects of their culture. Although previous research in the psychology of culture has examined the overall degree of fit between one’s personal beliefs and perceived cultural norms, little is known about whether cultural complexity is a meaningful construct. In three studies, I demonstrated the relevance of cultural complexity by examining the role it plays in beliefs about culture (Study 1), attitudes towards a racial ingroup and outgroup (Study 2), and patterns of information processing (Study 3). Study 1 mapped the nomological network of cultural complexity: Mediation analyses were used to identify individual difference correlates of cultural complexity and demonstrate that cultural complexity was associated with variables conducive to positive intergroup contact (e.g., cultural humility). Study 2 was an experimental study that provided evidence suggesting that cultural complexity attenuated intergroup bias, especially outgroup derogation, when people’s group identity was threatened. Study 3 further showed that cultural complexity facilitated a tendency to consider even-handed information when the interest of one’s cultural in-group was at stake. Results from these three studies with different research designs lend support to the validity of cultural complexity and have important implications for the conceptualization of individuals’ interactions with their culture.