This study explores the role perceived cultural difference and cultural priming have to play in influencing the home acculturation orientation of third culture individuals (individuals who have temporarily lived outside their home culture during their childhood years, or TCIs). Participants aged 19-74 years (N = 301) with a third culture background were surveyed using Amazon Mechanical Turk. Participants were randomly assigned to read a cultural priming scenario that oriented them either toward their home or host country, or to a third control group. All participants completed measures assessing their level of perceived cultural difference between home and host countries, and their level of home-country acculturation orientation. Results of this study supported hypotheses that perceived cultural difference was statistically significant in influencing TCIs’ home acculturation orientation but did not support hypotheses regarding cultural priming and an interaction between cultural priming and perceived cultural difference on acculturation orientation. Findings present implications for how the need for a cultural match between host and home countries can play a large role in influencing the third culture acculturative experience, and also provide further insight into a previously understudied population.

abstract: Beliefs about change reflect how we understand phenomena and what kind of predictions we make for the future. Cyclical beliefs about change state that events are in a constant flux, and change is inevitable. Linear beliefs about change state that events happen in a non-fluctuating pattern and change is not commonplace. Cultural differences in beliefs about change have been documented across various domains, but research has yet to investigate how these differences may affect health status predictions. The present study addresses this gap by inducing different beliefs about change in a European-American college sample. Health status predictions were measured in terms of predicted likelihood of exposure to the flu virus, of contraction of the flu, and of receiving a flu vaccine. Most differences were observed among those who have a recent history of suffering from the flu. Among them, cyclical thinkers tended to rate their likelihood for exposure and contraction to be higher than linear thinkers. However, linear thinkers indicated that they were more likely to receive a flu vaccine. The different patterns suggest the possibility that cyclical beliefs may activate concepts related to cautionary behaviors or pessimistic biases, while linear beliefs may activate concepts related to taking action and exercising control over the environment. Future studies should examine the interplay between beliefs about change and the nature of the predicted outcome. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. Psychology 2012