Effects of Culture Priming on the Social Connectedness of the Bicultural Self

Abstract

This research tests the theoretical prediction that the self-concept of bicultural Chinese would become more socially connected when Chinese primed than when Western primed. Measures of social connectedness are derived from the Self-Reference Effect, according to which information will be memorized better when it references the Self than when it references the non-Self. Under Western priming ( n = 91), memory of information referencing Self is better than that referencing font (a nonperson condition referring to the style in which the information is printed), a Nonidentified Person (NIP), or Mother, which suggests a relatively distinct Self (Hypothesis 1). Under Chinese priming ( n = 96), the Self-font distinction remains, but the Self—NIP and Self—Mother distinctions disappear as predicted, suggesting a more socially connected Self (Hypothesis 2). The predicted Priming × Referencing interaction effects are (marginally) significant, which confirm that the Self—NIP and Self—Mother connectedness is higher under Chinese priming than under Western priming (Hypothesis 3).

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