Marshall H. Segall

A cross-cultural exploration of physiognomic traits of dominance and happiness

Abstract Morphological traits may convey social messages among humans as they do among other species. This study presents data from observers in 11 national/cultural settings who viewed 19 pairs of portrait photographs and selected either more dominant-looking or happier-looking pair members. Significant cross-sample agreement in dominance attributions emerged for eight portrait pairs. Significant cross-sample agreement in happiness attributions occured for nine portrait pairs. Post hoc, among the characteristics of dominant faces were receded hairlines and relatively broad faces. The traits of happier- looking faces frequently included relatively dark eyes and thick lips, with some exceptions.

On the Search for the Independent Variable in Cross-Cultural Psychology

In the handbook of Cross-Cultural Psychology (Triandis, 1980), Gustav Jahoda argued that “further theoretical advance in cross-cultural psychology will probably depend to a considerable extent on a more rigorous analysis and operationalization of the concept of ‘culture.’” (Jahoda, 1980, (a) p. 31). I shall argue here that although the term “culture” is indeed conceptually unclear, as Jahoda has asserted, an effort to enhance its conceptual clarity is not needed; indeed it would be fruitless. The ambiguity of “culture” is not what is impeding theoretical advance.

International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology

The International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology (IACCP), founded in 1972, will hold its Silver Jubilee Congress in August 1998. IACCPs active membership presently numbers over 600 persons from approximately 70 countries. The official language of the Association is English. The IACCP is affiliated with the International Union of Psychological Science and the International Association of Applied Psychology.

EFFECT OF RELATIVE POSITIONS OF SEGMENTS ON STRENGTH OF THE MUELLER-LYER ILLUSION

Segall, Campbell, and Herskovits (1966) postulated that the Mueller-Lyer illusion results from the misapplication of normally valid visual inference habits related to depth perception. To test the hypothesis that the depth cue of the relative height of the Mueller-Lyer segments in the visual field affects susceptibility, 100 Ss were presented two identical sets of 15 slides of Mueller-Lyer stimuli, one set with the >—–< above the <——> and the other set in the reverse orientation. Placement of the >—–< above the <—–> produced significantly greater illusion susceptibility, as predicted by the depth cue hypothesis. Females were more susceptible than males, but there were no interaction effects of sex with figure orientation or trials nor a main effect for trials. The results were interpreted as supporting an empiricistic explanation of the Mueller-Lyer illusion.

Out of the Lab and Into the World: How One Psychologist Became Cross-Cultural

This Online Readings in Psychology and Culture Article is brought to you for free and open access (provided uses are educational in nature)by IACCP and ScholarWorks@GVSU.

On the Teaching of Cross-Cultural Psychology

Challenges and opportunities confront cross-cultural researchers who would inject a global perspective into undergraduate curricula. Changing student populations, revived interest in moral issues, the sociobiology renaissance, and enhanced resources for disseminating the products of cross-cultural psychology combine to place the field potentially at the heart of the undergraduate teaching enterprise.