Towards cross-cultural environmental psychology: A state-of-the-art review and recommendations

Tam, Kwok-kan; Milfont, Taciano L.

doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2020.101474

Cited by 153 publications

(121 citation statements)

References 78 publications

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“…The present study also makes several contributions to the generality of consequence effects on PEBT choice behavior. First, in line with the call for more cross-cultural research in environmental psychology [22], we showed that consequence effects are replicable in another cultural context. Moreover, the sizes of both the effect of behavioral costs (Belgium: η p 2 = 0.63, Japan: η p 2 = 0.64) and the effect of environmental benefits (Belgium: η p 2 = 0.20, Japan: η p 2 = 0.21) were very similar across samples.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Validating the Pro-Environmental Behavior Task in a Japanese Sample

Lange

Iwasaki

2020

Sustainability

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Controlled experimentation is critical for understanding the causal determinants of pro-environmental behavior. However, the potential of experimental pro-environmental behavior research is limited by the difficulty to observe pro-environmental behavior under controlled conditions. The Pro-Environmental Behavior Task (PEBT) was developed to address this limitation by facilitating the experimental analysis of pro-environmental behavior in the laboratory. Previous studies in Belgian samples have already supported the validity of the PEBT as a procedure for the study of actual pro-environmental behavior. Here, we aimed for a cross-cultural replication of this finding in a sample of N = 103 Japanese college students. Along the lines of previous studies, we found PEBT choice behavior to be sensitive to within-subject manipulations of its behavioral costs and environmental benefits. This implies that participants take these consequences into account when choosing between PEBT options. In addition, we showed, for the first time, that such consequence effects can also be detected in a less powerful between-subjects design. These results support the generality of consequence effects on PEBT choice behavior as well as the validity and utility of the PEBT for use in samples from different cultural backgrounds.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Validating the Pro-Environmental Behavior Task in a Japanese Sample

Lange

Iwasaki

2020

Sustainability

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“…To conclude, our results from Hong Kong differed from some of the previous findings on the psychological underpinnings of climate change denial. These findings highlight an urgent need for cross-cultural research analysing reasons to dismiss climate change (see also Tam & Milfont, 2020). To overcome the persistent delay in climate action, more understanding is needed about the psychological and context-dependent motivations to dismiss the reality of climate change.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…These findings call for a comparative, person-context approach to the study of human responses to environmental problems, including climate change (Tam & Milfont, 2020). A comparison of the role of SDO and (low) empathy in climate change denial in the Asian context versus the Western context should fittingly answer this call.…”

Section: Climate Change Denial and Acceptance Of Group-based Dominancementioning

confidence: 99%

Acceptance of group‐based dominance and climate change denial: A cross‐cultural study in Hong Kong, New Zealand, and Sweden

Jylhä

Tam

Milfont

2020

Asian J of Social Psycho

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Despite the importance of overcoming the persistent delay in climate action, almost no research has investigated the psychological underpinnings of climate change denial in Asian countries. Addressing this research gap, our study compares results obtained in Hong Kong with those of samples from New Zealand and Sweden regarding correlations of climate change denial with acceptance of dominance between social groups (Social Dominance Orientation), acceptance of two additional forms of group-based dominance (humans over nature, and humans over animals), and empathic concern. Results showed that only acceptance of human dominance over nature and animals predicted climate change denial in Hong Kong. In New Zealand and Sweden, however, the results resembled those found in previous research: The strongest predictor was Social Dominance Orientation, followed by acceptance of human dominance over nature. Low empathic concern predicted climate change denial only in Sweden. Results in Hong Kong differ from previous findings and indicate that climate change denial in this East Asian society is motivated more by hierarchical attitudes related to nature than social groups. We discuss possible reasons for these distinct findings and conclude that there is a need for cross-cultural research to further investigate the psychological and culture-specific motivations to dismiss climate change.

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“…However, results of this study indicate that individuals embedded in the HI-and VC-cultures have an awareness of their responsibilities toward the environment and are more likely to purchase green products (Kumar and Ghodeswar 2015;Lee 2009). Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that this study empirically demonstrated how to translate the HI-and VC-culture-specific values and environmental responsibility into purchase green products (Tam and Milfont 2020;Morren and Grinstein 2016).…”

Section: Theoretical and Practical Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 69%

“…Achievement of these objectives contributes to green customer behavior literature in four ways. First, it qualifies as an informed response to the continual calls by environmental psychologists to examine the role culture plays in human-environment interactions (Tam and Milfont 2020). Second, as revealed by the reviews of Shavitt and Cho (2016), Shavitt and Barnes (2019), the cultural differences dimensions of vertical individualism and horizontal collectivism -and not horizontal individualism and vertical collectivism -have received the greatest attention so far.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%