Discerning cultural shifts in China? Commentary on Hamamura et al. (2021).

Abstract

By examining the changes in the conceptual associations between individualism-collectivism and 10 other concepts based on the Google Ngram Chinese Corpus from the 1950s to the 1990s, Hamamura et al. ( 2021) inferred (a) no rise in individualism; (b) continuing collectivism; and (c) no effect of modernization on individualism in contemporary China. We question the validity of these conclusions given the following issues in their research: (a) misinterpretation of statistical results; (b) improper calculation of cultural associations; and (c) inappropriate generalization of specific findings. Contrary to their original findings, our reanalysis of their data suggests that individualism has been increasingly accepted and associated with some positive (vs. negative) aspects of life (e.g., income vs. loss, richness vs. poverty) over recent decades in China. Future research should use more rigorous methods and diverse corpora to clarify and explain changes in individualism and collectivism in China.

Toward a better understanding of cultural change: Reply to Bao et al. (2022).

“…Bao et al’s (2022) commentary reports four differences in results and one of which affects an aspect of our interpretation. We reported the main effect of individualism–collectivism (IND-COL) on negativity, but only the simple effect for the 1950s was significant, as reported in the commentary.…”

“…Hamamura et al (2021) uses a single linear effect of decades. Bao et al’s (2022) commentary uses five linear effects that shift the reference point across the five decades. These are two different reparameterizations of a statistical model yielding different representations of lower order effects.…”

“…Our method separately examines the associations between IND-COL and 10 different word lists (e.g., positive, negative, achievement). Bao et al’s (2022) commentary uses an alternative method examining the association between IND-COL and the difference between positively and negatively valenced words. The alternative approach does not disentangle whether, for example, individualism was regarded more positively or less negatively .…”

“…Hamamura et al (2021) discuss in detail how observing changes in word similarities may inform the understanding of cultural change. Bao et al’s (2022) commentary finds this inference inappropriate. We invite readers to form their own informed opinion.…”

“… Bao et al (2022) criticize the method, analysis, and conclusion of Hamamura et al (2021). In this reply, we respond to their three critiques.…”