@article{ref1,
title="Fear Goliath or David? Inferring competence from demeanor across cultures",
journal="Personality and social psychology bulletin",
year="2019",
author="Lee, Albert and Ji, Li-Jun and Li, Ye and Zhang, Zhiyong",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="We examined cultural differences in people's lay theories of demeanor-how demeanor may be perceived as a straightforward and reliable reflection of reality (convergence theory) or as a deviating reflection of reality (divergence theory). Across different domains of competition, Euro-Canadians perceived greater competence in an opponent with a competent demeanor, whereas Chinese paradoxically perceived greater competence in an opponent with no signs of competence (Studies 1-4b). The results, unexplained by attributional styles (Study 1), likability (Study 3), or modesty (Study 3), suggest that Euro-Canadians endorse a stronger convergence theory than Chinese in their inferences of competence. Corroborated with qualitative data (Study 4a), such cultural differences were explained by the beliefs that demeanor can be a misleading reflection of reality, verified in college and community (Study 4b) samples. We discuss the implications for social perception, intergroup dynamics, and self-presentation in competitions.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0146-1672",
doi="10.1177/0146167219893999",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0146167219893999"
}