Dimensions Used in Perceiving Peers: Cross-Cultural Comparisons of Hong Kong, Japanese, American and Filipino University Students

Abstract

Twenty bi-polar descriptions from Cattell's (1957) reduced personality sphère were presented to 192 university students in Hong Kong. Each subject used these scales to assess other students who were convened in same-sex groups of from six to ten members. These responses were then scored and factor analyzed using the procédure described by Norman (1963). The resulting factor analysis was compared with that derived from American, Filipino and Japanese university students using the same materials and procédures. The 20 scales were reliably used by the Hong Kong sample with the factor analysis extracting over 70% of the matrix variance. The composition of the first four factors of person perception was highly similar across the four cultures. These results were then related to those of Triandis (1977) on cross-cultural factors of behavior intention to suggest the importance of perception in guiding fundamental interpersonal behaviors in all cultures.