Verbal display rule knowledge: A cross-cultural developmental perspective

• In Event: 2-126 - Informal Teaching and Socialization across Cultures – Key Processes and Developmental Outcomes

Integrative Statement

A major achievement in social cognitive development involves children coming to understand the display rule norms that govern the expression of mental states. Despite the important role played by culture in influencing the nature of display rule norms, limited attention has been given to how and when cultural differences in knowledge of display rule norms emerge over the course of development. The current research examined cultural influences on the development of verbal display rule knowledge among children (M age = 9.15), adolescents (M age = 12.52), and adults (M age = 21.92) from the U.S. and Japan (N = 183).
Participants predicted verbal display rule behavior and motives in response to two scenarios designed to elicit display rule behavior: a) a conflicting opinions scenario in which two peers hold conflicting opinions, and b) a welfare scenario in which expressing a true opinion is likely to cause emotional harm. Results revealed that cultural differences in response to the conflicting opinions scenario emerged gradually over development, with culture moderating the relationship between age and opinion expression. Among Japanese participants, but not Americans, opinion expression decreased with age. Japanese adults endorsed less opinion expression than American adults, but no cultural differences occurred among children or adolescents (See Figure 1 for mean display rule endorsement). Rather than reflecting a greater tendency to mask a true opinion, these cultural differences were driven by a culture-specific strategy among Japanese participants of providing deliberately ambiguous neutral responses. Additionally, whereas American adults viewed display rule behavior as motivated by concern with conveying authentic emotion, Japanese adults viewed it in terms of relational motives (e.g., maintaining harmony with a peer). In response to the welfare scenario, however, we observed a culturally common age-related increase in display rule endorsement, with adults and adolescents in both cultures endorsing masking an opinion to protect the other person’s welfare (See Figure 2 for mean display rule endorsement). While children showed an initial sensitivity to these welfare motives, the tendency to view the display rule behavior in relational terms (e.g., in order to maintain harmony or abide by social norms) increased with age.
The current research contributes insight into the development of display rule knowledge through identifying a new culturally variable domain of display rule norms (i.e. conflicting opinions) as well as documenting culturally common developmental trajectories in response to contexts involving salient welfare concerns. The observed cultural variability highlights the degree to which the acquisition of cultural display rule knowledge reflects a gradual, context-specific process. With regard to culturally common aspects of display rule development, the results demonstrate an increasing awareness with age of the broader social context in which display rules are enacted—namely, an appreciation of the degree to which display rule behavior reflects adherence to socially expected norms and concerns with relationship maintenance.

Authors

• Matthew Wice, Department of Psychology, State University of New York at New Paltz
  Presenting Author

• Tomoko Matsui, Tokyo Gakugei University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Gen Tsudaka, Department of Psychology, The New School for Social Research
  Non-Presenting Author

• Minoru Karasawa, Department of Psychology, Nagoya University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Joan Miller, Department of Psychology, The New School for Social Research
  Non-Presenting Author