Cultural Values, Attitudes and Behaviors on an Allocation Game

Taiwanese and American undergraduates were compared with respect to cultural values and attitudes that reflect individualism and collectivism as well as independent, cooperative, defensive, and aggressive behaviors. Each sample of American and Taiwanese students was composed of 90 undergraduates. The Schwartz Value Instrument and Triandis et al. Attitude Survey were used to measure students' values and attitudes, while the behaviors were measured by an allocation game. Taiwanese students expressed greater valuation of power and tradition and favored family intergrity, whereas Americans expressed higher valuation of conformity and benevolence and favored social interdependence. Although students from Taiwan and the United States differed on several specific values and attitudes reflecting individualism versus collectivism, they did not reveal a consistent pattern in the composite measures of values, attitudes or behaviors reflecting either of these contrasting cultural orientations.