scholarly journals Ritual morphospace revisited: the form, function and factor structure of ritual practice

2020 ◽  
Vol 375 (1805) ◽  
pp. 20190436 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rohan Kapitány ◽  
Christopher Kavanagh ◽  
Harvey Whitehouse
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Supporting Evidence ◽  
Ritual Practice ◽  
Cultural Groups ◽  
Theme Issue ◽  
Form Function ◽  
The Us ◽  
Cognitive Dimensions

Human rituals exhibit bewildering diversity, from the Mauritian Kavadi to Catholic communion. Is this diversity infinitely plastic or are there some general dimensions along which ritual features vary? We analyse two cross-cultural datasets: one drawn from the anthropological record and another novel contemporary dataset, to examine whether a consistent underlying set of latent dimensions in ritual structure and experiences can be detected. First, we conduct a factor analysis on 651 rituals from 74 cultural groups, in which 102 binary variables are coded. We find a reliable set of dimensions emerged, which provide potential candidates for foundational elements of ritual form. Notably, we find that the expression of features associated with dysphoric and euphoric experiences in rituals appears to be largely orthogonal. Second, we follow-up with a pre-registered factor analysis examining contemporary ritual experiences of 779 individuals from Japan, India and the US. We find supporting evidence that ritual experiences are clustered in relatively orthogonal euphoric, dysphoric, frequency and cognitive dimensions. Our findings suggest that there are important regularities in the diversity of ritual expression and experience observed across both time and culture. We discuss the implications of these findings for cognitive theories of ritual and cultural evolution. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Ritual renaissance: new insights into the most human of behaviours'.

scholarly journals Ritual Morphospace Revisited: The form, function, and factor structure of ritual practice

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rohan Kapitány ◽  
Christopher Michael Kavanagh ◽  
Harvey Whitehouse
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Supporting Evidence ◽  
Ritual Practice ◽  
Cultural Groups ◽  
Form Function ◽  
The Us ◽  
Cognitive Dimensions

Human rituals exhibit bewildering diversity, from the Mauritian Kavadi to Catholic communion. Is this diversity infinitely plastic or are there some general dimensions along which ritual features vary? We analysed two cross-cultural datasets, one drawn from the anthropological record, and another novel contemporary dataset to examine whether a consistent underlying set of latent dimensions in ritual structure and experiences were detected. First, we conducted a factor analysis on 651 rituals from 74 cultural groups, in which 102 binary variables were coded. We find a reliable set of dimensions emerged, which provide potential candidates for foundational elements of ritual form. Notably, we find that the expression of features associated with dysphoric and euphoric experiences in rituals appear to be largely orthogonal. Second, we follow-up with a pre-registered factor analysis examining contemporary ritual experiences of 779 individuals from Japan, India, and the US. We find supporting evidence that ritual experiences are clustered in relatively orthogonal euphoric, dysphoric, frequency and cognitive dimensions. Our findings suggest there are important regularities in the diversity of ritual expression and experience observed across both time and culture. We discuss the implications of these findings for cognitive theories of ritual and cultural evolution.

scholarly journals Why developmental psychology is incomplete without comparative and cross-cultural perspectives

2016 ◽  
Vol 371 (1686) ◽  
pp. 20150071 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Nielsen ◽  
Daniel Haun
Keyword(s):  
Social Cognition ◽  
Animal Models ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Developmental Psychology ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Cultural Groups ◽  
Theme Issue ◽  
Cultural Perspectives ◽  
Link Type ◽  
History Of

As a discipline, developmental psychology has a long history of relying on animal models and data collected among distinct cultural groups to enrich and inform theories of the ways social and cognitive processes unfold through the lifespan. However, approaches that draw together developmental, cross-cultural and comparative perspectives remain rare. The need for such an approach is reflected in the papers by Heyes (2015 Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 371, 20150069. ( doi:10.1098/rstb.2015.0069 )), Schmelz & Call (2015 Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 371, 20150067. ( doi:10.1098/rstb.2015.0067 )) and Keller (2015 Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 371, 20150070. ( doi:10.1098/rstb.2015.0070 )) in this theme issue. Here, we incorporate these papers into a review of recent research endeavours covering a range of core aspects of social cognition, including social learning, cooperation and collaboration, prosociality, and theory of mind. In so doing, we aim to highlight how input from comparative and cross-cultural empiricism has altered our perspectives of human development and, in particular, led to a deeper understanding of the evolution of the human cultural mind.

scholarly journals A two-component framework captures cross-cultural similarities and differences in essentialist thinking about social categories

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Coley ◽  
Aidan Feeney ◽  
Yian Xu ◽  
Meredith Cohen-Pilat ◽  
R. Cole Eidson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Social Dimensions ◽  
Cultural Groups ◽  
Social Categories ◽  
Northern Irish ◽  
Component Framework ◽  
The Us ◽  
Two Component ◽  
The Usa

Social essentialism is the intuitive assumption that members of social categories share underlying properties that determine category membership and cause observable regularities. We investigate cultural differences in social essentialism in the USA, Northern Ireland, and China. In Study 1, 106 undergraduates from the US and Northern Ireland rated 44 social categories on 9 scales representing distinct aspects of social essentialism. In Study 2, 157 undergraduates from the US and China rated 31 social categories on 6 scales. Results showed that a single two-component framework—describing variability in social categories with respect to perceived naturalness (objectivity, immutability) and cohesiveness (homogeneity, informativeness)—explained representations of social categories in all three cultures. Differences emerged as well; on average, American participants rated social categories as more natural and less cohesive than Northern Irish or Chinese participants. Moreover, specific social dimensions were seen as more natural in cultures where those dimensions had particular cultural salience (religion in Northern Ireland, home region in China). Together, these findings demonstrate cross-cultural similarities (a common two- component framework for representing social kinds, a common way to essentialize historically salient social dimensions) and differences (in the general extent to which social categories were perceived to be natural and cohesive) across disparate cultural groups.

Measure invariance of the Political Skill Inventory (PSI) across five cultures

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Lvina ◽  
Gary Johns ◽  
Darren C. Treadway ◽  
Gerhard Blickle ◽  
Yongmei (Lucy) Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Measurement Equivalence ◽  
Political Skill ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Cultural Value ◽  
The Political ◽  
Cultural Groups ◽  
The Us ◽  
Mean And Covariance Structures ◽  
Political Skill Inventory

This research expands the study of political skill, a construct developed in North America, to other cultures. We examine the psychometric properties of the Political Skill Inventory (PSI) and test the measurement equivalence of the scale in a non-American context. Respondents were 1511 employees from China, Germany, Russia, Turkey, and the United States. The cross-cultural generalizability of the construct is established through consistent evidence of multi-group invariance in an increasingly stringent series of analyses of mean and covariance structures. Overall, the study provides systematic evidence that political skill can be treated as a stable construct among diverse cultural groups. Furthermore, our findings demonstrate that translated PSI measures operationalize the construct similarly. With some exceptions, the item loadings and intercepts are invariant for the US and non-US responses, suggesting partial measurement equivalence. After verifying the accuracy of item translation, we conclude that any differences can be explained by variation in the cultural value of uncertainly avoidance and cultural differences on a low-to-high context continuum. Detected dissimilarities are addressed, and some suggestions regarding the correct use across borders of the instrument by managers and researchers are provided.

Factorial Structure of the Therapist Adherence Measure-Revised (TAM-R) Within Multisystemic Therapy

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 427-431
Author(s):  
Aurelie M. C. Lange ◽  
Marc J. M. H. Delsing ◽  
Ron H. J. Scholte ◽  
Rachel E. A. van der Rijken
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Factor Structure ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Multisystemic Therapy ◽  
Model Fit ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Adherence Measure ◽  
Therapist Adherence ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
The Us

Abstract. The Therapist Adherence Measure (TAM-R) is a central assessment within the quality-assurance system of Multisystemic Therapy (MST). Studies into the validity and reliability of the TAM in the US have found varying numbers of latent factors. The current study aimed to reexamine its factor structure using two independent samples of families participating in MST in the Netherlands. The factor structure was explored using an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) in Sample 1 ( N = 580). This resulted in a two-factor solution. The factors were labeled “therapist adherence” and “client–therapist alliance.” Four cross-loading items were dropped. Reliability of the resulting factors was good. This two-factor model showed good model fit in a subsequent Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) in Sample 2 ( N = 723). The current finding of an alliance component corroborates previous studies and fits with the focus of the MST treatment model on creating engagement.

Measurement Invariance of a Universal Behavioral Screener Across Samples From the USA and Germany

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gino Casale ◽  
Robert J. Volpe ◽  
Brian Daniels ◽  
Thomas Hennemann ◽  
Amy M. Briesch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Measurement Invariance ◽  
Student Behavior ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Cross Cultural Comparison ◽  
School Based ◽  
Cultural Research ◽  
Universal Screener ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Usa

Abstract. The current study examines the item and scalar equivalence of an abbreviated school-based universal screener that was cross-culturally translated and adapted from English into German. The instrument was designed to assess student behavior problems that impact classroom learning. Participants were 1,346 K-6 grade students from the US (n = 390, Mage = 9.23, 38.5% female) and Germany (n = 956, Mage = 8.04, 40.1% female). Measurement invariance was tested by multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) across students from the US and Germany. Results support full scalar invariance between students from the US and Germany (df = 266, χ2 = 790.141, Δχ2 = 6.9, p < .001, CFI = 0.976, ΔCFI = 0.000, RMSEA = 0.052, ΔRMSEA = −0.003) indicating that the factor structure, the factor loadings, and the item thresholds are comparable across samples. This finding implies that a full cross-cultural comparison including latent factor means and structural coefficients between the US and the German version of the abbreviated screener is possible. Therefore, the tool can be used in German schools as well as for cross-cultural research purposes between the US and Germany.

The Cross-Cultural Equivalence of Parental Rearing Measure: EMBU-C

2006 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 85-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maja Deković ◽  
Margreet ten Have ◽  
Wilma A.M. Vollebergh ◽  
Trees Pels ◽  
Annerieke Oosterwegel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Child Rearing ◽  
Latent Factors ◽  
Immigrant Adolescents ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Parental Rearing ◽  
The Cross ◽  
Multigroup Confirmatory Factor Analysis

We examined the cross-cultural equivalence of a widely used instrument that assesses perceived parental rearing, the EMBU-C, among native Dutch and immigrant adolescents living in The Netherlands. The results of a multigroup confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the factor structure of the EMBU-C, consisting of three latent factors (Warmth, Rejection, and Overprotection), and reliabilities of these scales are similar in both samples. These findings lend further support for the factorial and construct validity of this instrument. The comparison of perceived child rearing between native Dutch and immigrant adolescents showed cultural differences in only one of the assessed dimensions: Immigrant adolescents perceive their parents as more overprotective than do Dutch adolescents.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document