The effect of language on the bicultural self

The effect of language on the bicultural self

1. Procedure

   • People born in China, living in Canada
   • Asked to describe who they were either in English (condition 1) or Chinese (condition 2)
   • Aim: to see if we have different cultural selves that can be cued by environmental factors

2. Findings

   • Those that descirbed themselves in English used more individual attributes than those who described in Chinese
   • Those who described themselves in Chinese used more relational terms than those who described in English

3. Criticism

   • The participants may have been reacting to demand characteristics, as they were presented with a certain type of interviewer, and conformed to what they were expecting.