Need for Closure Effects on Affective and Cognitive Responses to Culture Fusion

Abstract

This research examined how affective and cognitive responses to culture fusion, a specific type of culture mixing that features the blending of different cultures or parts thereof into a new entity, are influenced by individual differences in Need for Closure (NFC). Two studies showed that individuals high (vs. low) in NFC felt less favorable toward culture fusion (i.e., the affective response), both at an abstract level (i.e., society structure models; Study 1, N = 191) and at a more concrete level (i.e., food stimuli; Study 2, N = 257). In addition, high NFC individuals tended to assign culturally fused stimuli to one discrete culture, rather than acknowledging them as culturally hybrid (i.e., the cognitive response). Furthermore, mediation analyses showed that the relationships between NFC and responses toward culture fusion were mediated by Right-Wing Authoritarianism. These findings are interpreted in terms of the threat to epistemic security needs posed by culture fusion.

The diversity of cultural diversity: Psychological consequences of different patterns of intercultural contact and mixing

“…Although most prior research on culture mixing and creativity has revealed a positive relationship, these findings are at odds with studies suggesting that reminders of culture mixing should increase exclusionary responses, perceptions of cultural incompatibility, and preferences for monocultural categorization and cultural conventionalism (Chiu et al., ; De Keersmaecker et al., ; Morris et al., ; Torelli et al., ). One factor that may reconcile these discrepant responses to mixing is open‐mindedness.…”

“…Possibly the most widely studied form of culture mixing to date has been simultaneous presentation, which also has been referred to as joint presentation, side‐by‐side presentation, or cultural co‐presence (Chen et al., ; Cheng, Leung, & Wu, ; Chiu et al., ; Morris, Mok, & Mor, ; Peng & Xie, ; Torelli, Chiu, Tam, Au, & Keh, ). This manifestation of mixing involves the simultaneous presentation of two independent cultural items or images next to one another, and has been conceptualized as a representation of a multicultural ideology (the coexistence of multiple, yet distinctive and pure, cultures) (De Keersmaecker, Van Assche, & Roets, ).…”

“…Other patterns of culture mixing more explicitly imply an intrusive presence or “invasion” of one culture by another, such as superimposition and fusion. Compared to less intrusive forms of culture mixing (e.g., simultaneous presentation), superimposition and fusion may risk predominantly more exclusionary reactions to culture mixing based on perceptions of symbolic threat and contamination of one's own culture by foreign or outgroup elements (Cheon et al., ; Cui et al., ; De Keersmaecker et al., ; Yang et al., ).…”

“…Notably, NFC is among the most frequently examined moderators of responses to culture mixing, such that people who are more tolerant or open toward uncertainty, unpredictability, and ambiguity are less likely to exhibit exclusionary or aversive responses to various forms of culture mixing. For instance, people with higher levels of NFC are less tolerant of culture fusion and more motivated to categorize culturally fused items into a single culture rather than as a hybrid (De Keersmaecker et al., ). NFC also has been associated with increased feelings of disgust toward culturally fused items (Cheon et al., ).…”

A cognitively-gated place? The role of need for closure in a biased perception of the place’s past

“…As research has shown, NFC has important implications for real-life situations. According to numerous studies, NFC is related to political judgements and social beliefs, such as authoritarianism and conservatism (De Keersmaecker et al 2016;Kossowska and Van Hiel 2003), as well as prejudice towards minority groups (Roets and Van Hiel 2011a), the degree of ingroup favouritism and outgroup derogation, and a desire for a homogeneous social environment (Roets et al 2015). In addition, people high in NFC perceive their ingroup as more homogeneous than do those low in NFC (Dijksterhuis et al 1996;Kruglanski and Mayseless 1988).…”