Self-Improving Motivations and Collectivism

Abstract

Much research reveals pronounced self-improving motivations among East Asians. A question remains whether similar patterns would emerge in non-Asian collectivist cultures. Research that has used self-report measures reveals mixed evidence regarding collectivist self-improvement. The present study assesses self-improving motivations among Chileans using a behavioral measure in a replication of an earlier experiment with Americans and Japanese by Heine and colleagues (2001). The results revealed that Chileans, like Japanese and unlike Americans, were more likely to switch tasks following success feedback than following failure feedback.