*[Enwl-eng] White America Turned Off By Calls to Interdependence,Researchers Argue

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May 8, 2013, 3:27:58 PM5/8/13
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*'Let's Work Together' Message Can Be Counterproductive*
New research suggests that, in for white Americans, the best way
to motivate pro-social behavior is to emphasize independent action.

April 4, 2013 . By Tom Jacobs

When it comes to climate change, we're all in this dilemma together, and
forcefully addressing it will require collaboration and cooperation. A
stirring sentiment, but if you're looking to spur white Americans to
action, it's actually counterproductive.

That's the conclusion of a Stanford University research team, which
found invoking the idea of interdependence undermined the motivation of
European-American students to take a course in environmental sustainability.

The researchers, led by MarYam Hamedani of Stanford's Center for
Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, argue that in mainstream
European-American culture, independence functions as a "foundational
schema"---that is, an underlying design or blueprint that guides behavior.

"Interdependent action is not as motivating for independent
European-Americans because it is inconsistent with this schema," they
write in the journal Psychological Science.

Hamedani and her colleagues describe three studies that provide evidence
supporting their thesis. In one of them, 91 Stanford students---47
European-Americans and 44 Asian-Americans---examined a website that
advertised a new course focusing on environmental sustainability.

Half looked at a version of the site that emphasized independent action,
noting that the students would "learn to work autonomously," and
"cultivate expertise in individual action." The others read a version
that emphasized interdependence, saying that students would "learn to
collaborate with others" and "cultivate expertise in social action."

All were then asked how much effort they would put into such a class and
how motivated they would feel if they enrolled. They also allocated an
amount of money to sponsor course-related activities, and indicated
whether they felt it should be a requirement.

White undergraduates who were told it would help them develop unique
personal skills were more interested in the class, and more likely to
believe it should be required for graduation. In contrast,
Asian-Americans---who have been influenced by a culture with a more
communal-oriented mindset---found the individuality- and
interdependence-oriented appeals equally appealing.

"These effects were robust, and suggest that the frequent and pressing
calls for Americans to recognize their shared fate and think
collectively may result in the unintended consequences of undermining
the very motivation they seek to inspire," the researchers write.

"In the land of the free, motivating Americans to take action for
today's pressing societal challenges will be accomplished most
effectively when people are encouraged to 'take charge' rather than to
'work together.'"

Clearly, the Mad Man who came up with the appeal "Only You Can Prevent
Forest Fires" had a good intuitive sense of his audience.
More like this: Environment, Findings Tags: Climate Change, Psychology
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About Tom Jacobs

Staff writer Tom Jacobs is a veteran journalist with more than 20 years
experience at daily newspapers. He has served as a staff writer for The
Los Angeles Daily News and the Santa Barbara News-Press. His work has
also appeared in The Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and Ventura
County Star.

* * *

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130122143220.htm

*In the Land of the Free, Interdependence Undermines Americans'
Motivation to Act*

Jan. 22, 2013 --- Public campaigns that call upon people to think and
act interdependently may undermine motivation for many Americans,
according to new research published in Psychological Science, a journal
of the Association for Psychological Science.

Americans are repeatedly exposed to messages urging them to think and
act with others in mind, telling us, for example, to act sustainably by
bringing reusable bags to the grocery store or to act responsibly by
getting a flu shot. Researchers MarYam Hamedani, Hazel Rose Markus, and
Alyssa Fu of Stanford University wondered what impact these kinds of
appeals have in a culture that stresses independence.

"Decades of research in the social sciences have shown that fostering
people's sense of independence is the most effective driver of behavior
among Americans. We suspected that while Americans might say they like
the idea of working together and cooperating, such appeals may not
motivate them to action," says Hamedani.

In two different experiments, the researchers found that European
Americans who were primed to think about interdependent behavior were
less likely to persist at challenging tasks. They gave up sooner than
European Americans primed to think about independence. In one study,
they spent about four minutes less working on the task than those primed
with independent behavior or than those who received no prime. These
results suggest that the interdependence prime actually decreased their
motivation to keep working on the task.

But what role does invoking interdependence play in relation to an
actual social issue? In a third experiment, students evaluated a
university course where they could learn about promoting environmental
sustainability.

In line with the previous experiments, European American students
predicted they would put less effort into the class when the
participation in the course was framed in terms of interdependence --
for example, learning to work together, take others' perspectives, and
be adaptable. They were also less likely to agree that the course should
be a university requirement. Those who read the interdependent course
description also said they would be less motivated in the class, which
helped to explain why they chose to allocate fewer resources to the
course when given the opportunity.

Across the three studies, however, Asian American students' behavior did
not vary when interdependence vs. independence was emphasized.

The researchers point out that many bicultural Asian Americans are
exposed not only to the power of independence through American culture,
but also to interdependence through their Asian family, friends, and
ethnic community contexts. For them, thinking about how they are
connected to others and tuning their behavior to others can be a
motivating force as well, since East Asian culture stresses
interdependence. For independently minded European Americans, however,
thinking about working together with others seems to take the focus off
the self and weaken motivational resolve.

Together, the three experiments demonstrate that our ways of thinking
and our motivations to act are deeply tied to the cultural frameworks
that shape our social worlds.

These findings have important implications for those working to promote
social and behavioral change, whether they're campaigners, marketers, or
policymakers.

Today's most pressing social and political issues -- from the global
economic recession, to the universal impact of climate change, to public
health scares like this year's influenza epidemic -- highlight the
significance of people's interdependence with one another. But the
findings reported here suggest that focusing on this interdependence may
backfire:

"Appeals to interdependence might sound nice or like the right thing to
do, but they will not get the job done for many Americans," says Hamedani.

A better strategy for motivating action among European Americans,
according to Hamedani and her colleagues, may be to encourage individual
effort for the good of the team or collective, urging each individual to
"be the change YOU want to see in the world."
This research was supported by National Science Foundation Research
Grant No. 0092018.

Journal Reference:
1. M. G. Hamedani, H. R. Markus, A. S. Fu. In the Land of the
Free, Interdependent Action Undermines Motivation. Psychological
Science, 2013; DOI: 10.1177/0956797612452864




http://www.psmag.com/blogs/news-blog/interdependent-message-makes-european-americans-less-willing-to-work-at-climate-change-54460/


*** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this
material is distributed, without profit, for research and educational
purposes only. ***



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