Are There Cross-Cultural Differences in Planning Behavior?
The following part presents results of a cross-cultural study conducted in Brazil, India, and Germany (see Güss, 1997; Strohschneider & Güss, 1998). Cross-cultural psychologists often use quantitative methods for their investigations of similarities and differences in individual psychological functioning in different cultural groups. Cross-cultural psychology follows an “etic” perspective. The basic assumption is that all human beings are in someway similar and share universals, but they are also different because of cultural influences. In this study 120 students in Brazil, India, and Germany read several open-ended problem scenarios like the following one. Please imagine that you live together with your spouse and your three children in a pretty flat for rent. The flat is located in a nice area and the rent is reasonable. Although you are not living there for long, you feel quite at home there. Coming home from work this evening, you find a letter from the landlord in which he gives
