Values in the Subjective Culture: A Social Psychological View

Abstract

Using POLDI (a variation of the semantic differential method) as a measuring instrument, evidence was shown that there is the subtle but real cultural uniquenesses of evaluative criteria despite the over-all consistency in the semantic frame of reference when Japanese and German Ss judged a set of nation concepts. Next, Evaluative Atlases of several critical concepts were constructed on the basis of data collected in 15 language/culture communities by means of multi-lingual semantic differentials, and comparisons were made among the 15 communities. Finally, a plan of intercultural cooperation was proposed, in that the responsibility of social and behavioral scientists is stressed for both making up and executing plans for the engineering of such intercultural cooperation.

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