ABSTRACT
Evidence exists that Westerners rely on similarities to organize their perceptual experiences (descriptive style) and on dispositions to explain human behavior, whereas Far East Asians rely on functional relationships (relational style) and situational details. The present research challenged this dichotomy by investigating perceptual organization and causal attribution in bicultural women of Middle Eastern descent. In Experiment 1, participants were given three items from which to pick two that would go together (e.g., shampoo, conditioner, hair). In Experiment 2, participants were asked to explain desirable and undesirable outcomes (i.e., grades). In both studies, cultural orientation was assessed. When participants were given three items from which to pick two that would go together, they emulated the Westerners' descriptive approach to perception, selecting choices based on similarities (e.g., shampoo and conditioner) rather than on functional relationships (e.g., shampoo and hair). When participants explained desirable outcomes, they preferred internal causes, whereas when they explained undesirable outcomes, they preferred external causes, thereby expressing the self-serving bias often attributed to people from the West. Yet, they also exhibited a hybrid cultural orientation, which included both collectivistic and individualistic inclinations. Although these findings support a polycultural viewpoint, according to which people can manage coherent lives informed by multiple legacies, they also indicate that cultural mindsets do not evenly influence information processing.
Subject(s)
Cognition , Social Perception , Female , Humans , White PeopleABSTRACT
This paper for the first time aims to valorize the environmental and economic values of electronic waste recycling for member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) from the year 2018 up to 2040. GCC countries have a unique situation due to the significant economic growth with the resulting urbanization and population growth accompanied by high standards of living that in turn increase all types of waste. A direct link among the living standards and quantity of electronic waste production is observed in the GCC states. The annual growth of electronic waste in GCC is 3-5% while the current estimated electronic waste generation exceeds 52.2 million metric tonnes (Mt). In 2018, GCC states generated 857 kilotonnes (kt) electronic waste that would be 1.094 Mt by 2040. KSA, among the GCC states, generated the highest amount of electronic waste (533 kt) in 2018 that would be 675 kt by 2040. GCC countries are on the right track of developing policies and regulations for managing electronic waste. However, more efforts are required to ensure the implementation of these regulations. The findings of this study would be a base for the future studies in the electronic waste sector in the GCC region and a novel initiative for GCC to develop a unified free zone for the electronic waste recycling that will meet the local, regional, and international standards and regulations. This unified GCC initiative has substantial economic and environmental benefits for the region.