Which cultural group I love depends on how I feel about my identities: The moderating effect of blendedness on the priming of cultural in-group love in undergraduate Asian-American biculturals

• Published in: International journal of intercultural relations 2016-09, Vol.54, p.87-96
• Main Author: Chiou, Andy Y.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Asian Americans; Bicultural identity integration; Biculturalism; Cultural differences; Cultural groups; Cultural identity; Ethnic groups; Ethnic identity; Ethnicity; Favoritism; Game theory; Group identity; In-group love; Love; Priming; Quantitative psychology; Resource allocation; Social identity; Social integration; Studies
• ISSN: 0147-1767; 1873-7552
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijintrel.2016.07.005

While bicultural research has begun to examine how biculturals identify with different cultures, bicultural identities tend to be organized in a complex manner than influences how they interact with the outside world. In this experimental study we examined whether undergraduate Asian-American biculturals can be primed to identify with Asian or American ethnic-cultural groups as in-groups, measured by in-group favoritism in resource allocation in a variant of a prisoner's dilemma game, and whether this is moderated by the blendedness dimension of bicultural identity integration (BII-Blendedness). Results showed that biculturals can be primed to express in-group favoritism towards different ethnic groups, and that this relationship is moderated by the level of BII-Blendedness in a manner that is consistent with past BII research. These findings provide empirical support for past discussions on how biculturals shift between cultural identities, and highlight that how biculturals feel about their dual identities is an important influencing factor.