Lecture 17: Choices, Autonomy, and Culture Flashcards
happiness in love marriages vs. arranged marriages study
- A study in India found that at the start of a marriage, people in a love marriage are much happier than those in an arranged marriage
- Over 10 years, the happiness of people in a love marriage diminished, but it increased steadily in an arranged marriage
where are arranged marriages common?
- India
- Pakistan
- Bangladesh
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- South Korea
other issues in marriage
- Child marriages
- Consanguineous marriages
- Polygamous marriages
- Same-sex marriages
arranged marriage and religion
- There’s an association between arranged marriage and religion
- It’s common in the Hindu and Muslim religions
what kind of marriage do most young adults want?
Most young adults want a love marriage, but if they aren’t married by a certain age would be okay with their parents helping them
Koestner’s friend Vinit
- Koestner’s friend Vinit went through an arranged marriage to a woman named Anshu
- He thought that it was the right thing to do
- All of his friends thought he was crazy
- Their marriage went well
- The only issue was that Anshu’s mother wanted her to dress more traditionally and she wanted to be more American
who do young adults believe are better at selecting a partner for them?
Some young adults believe that their parents are better at finding them a partner; they are better at detecting red flags and moral standards
benefits of choice experiment method
- Involved in a fantasy math learning game
- The researchers measured how much students liked the game and their performance
- They manipulated whether the task was general or personal and whether there was a choice or not
benefits of choice experiment conditions
Four conditions: general-no choice, general-choice, personal-no choice, personal-choice
benefits of choice experiment findings
They found that both personalization and choice lead to higher intrinsic motivation and performance
Sarah P’s 2010 study
- Investigated whether mandatory reading logs hurt or helped children’s intrinsic motivation to read
- She found that students who were given mandatory reading logs were less interested and had more negative attitudes towards recreational reading at the end of two months in comparison to their peers who had been given voluntary reading logs
- Sarah was 15 years old when she conducted this study! She’s now a doctor
Sheena Iyengar
- Wrote a book called “The Art of Choosing”
- Grew up in an Indian family and had to choose between an arranged marriage or a love marriage
- Had a degenerative eye disease as a child and gradually lost her vision
Iyengar and Lepper Study 1 method
- 100 4th-6th graders were brought into the lab and given anagrams and markers to do them with
- ½ were Anglo American and ½ were Asian American
- There were 6 topical categories: family, animals, San Francisco, food, party, and house
- 15 anagrams were in each pile and arranged from easiest to most difficult
- Piles were pre-tested to ensure equal difficulty
Iyengar and Lepper Study 1 conditions
- The child chose what anagram they did and what marker they used
- Ms. Smith chose what anagram they did and what marker they used
- The child’s mother chose what anagram they did and what marker they used
Iyengar and Lepper Study 1 dependent variables
- Performance on anagrams
- Free choice intrinsic motivation
Iyengar and Lepper Study 1 findings
- Anglo-American kids did 2.5 times more anagrams in the choosing condition vs. when it was chosen by someone else. It didn’t matter if it was chosen by Ms. Smith or their mother
- Asian American kids did best when they believed their mothers had chosen the anagram they were doing, followed by when they chose it, followed by when Ms. Smith chose it
Iyengar and Lepper Study 1 takeaways
- Anglo-Americans show greater intrinsic motivation for a task when they select it
- Asian Americans show greater intrinsic motivation on a task when their mom chooses it, followed by when they choose it
characteristics of U.S. culture
- An individualistic culture in which people possess a model of themselves as fundamentally independent
- We seek to express our internal attributes to demonstrate our uniqueness
- Making a choice allows us to display our attributes and to show our uniqueness
characteristics of East Asian culture
- Collectivist cultures in which people possess a model of themselves as essentially interdependent
- Strive for interconnectedness and belongingness with their social ingroups
- Choices are intended to maintain harmony and fulfill the wishes of those groups
Iyengar and Lepper Study 2 method
10-year-old children from Anglo- or Asian-American families participated in the Space Quest Math Game used by Cordova and Lepper 1996
Iyengar and Lepper Study 2 conditions
- Personal choice
- In-group choice
- Out-group choice
Iyengar and Lepper Study 2 dependent variables
- Self-reported interest
- Test-retest of knowledge of mathematical operations
Iyengar and Lepper Study 2 findings
- Performance improved most for Anglo-Americans with personal choice and with Asian-Americans with in-group choice
- There is something positive that happens with Asian Americans with personal choice too
downside of Iyengar and Lepper Study 2
Asian Americans are bicultural. We don’t know what the impact would be on Asian children
Iyengar and Lepper Study 2 Chinese follow-up study
A Chinese study found similar results but that the extent of the impact of the mother’s choice depended on the type of relationship a child has with their mother
conclusions of Iyengar and Lepper’s work
- Although choice generally is associated with greater motivation, its impact may depend on the cultural background of the individual
- Experimenter choice harms intrinsic motivation and performance across cultures
Deci’s perspective on culture and autonomy
Autonomy is orthogonal with collectivistic vs. individualistic orientation
autonomy
concerns the extent to which one fully accepts, endorses, and stands behind one’s actions
categories of arranged marriages
- forced marriage
- traditional arranged marriage
- modern arranged marriage
- modern arranged marriage with courthsip
- introduction-only arranged marriage
forced marriage
people are married against their will
traditional arranged marriage
the parents control the process, but there is an opportunity for the young people to say no. Usually, you get 2 chances to say no
modern arranged marriage
- People consent to the process of an arranged marriage
- Unfortunately, the women involved in this process often don’t feel that they have any choice in it
modern arranged marriage with courship
you are given some options and can date the person for a certain amount of time
how do modern arranged marriages with courtship often turn out?
- This often turns out badly
- If you’re from a traditional society, there is a stigma associated with it
introduction-only arranged marriage
the parents arrange a meet-up based on shared backgrounds
Miss Rawar
- While she had always known that she would “be arranged” she said she was shocked that it happened so soon (age 19), and threw a few tantrums.
- Eventually, though, she accepted it and has given up her plans of finishing her education; instead, she will follow her husband to London or India.
- “I wish it didn’t have to be this way,” she said, “but I can’t do anything about it.”
what kind of arranged marriage did Koestner’s friend Vinit and his wife had
- Vinit had a modern arranged marriage
- His wife Anshu had a traditional arranged marriage
the problem with arranged marriage
If the young person isn’t involved, they will feel helpless and depressed
Azhar Haidri
a 23-year-old Pakistani man who gained national attention in October 2010 for his novel solution to a dilemma over wedding the woman he loves or going ahead with the marriage his family arranged. He married both women, within 24 hours.
what is the primary reason for arranged marriage today?
many families want to secure wealth, property, and social status for their children
