中国科学院行为科学重点实验室知识库

摘要：文化变迁的常人理论认为，全球各地的文化都有着竞争加剧和人际间温暖降低的趋势。我们让中国北京的被试评价他们眼中的周围大多数人（现在的周围大多数人和四十年前的周围大多数人），以此来检验这个理论在中国语境下是否为真。结果发现，在评价他人时，被试认为在过去四十年中，他们周围大多数人的负性特质上升、正性特质下降，其中上升的既包括与自我有关的负性特质（例如懒惰、脆弱），也包括与他人有关的负性特质（例如冷漠、自大），而下降的则是与他人有关的正性特质（例如善良、忠诚）。此外，被试认为周围大多数人的物质主义水平在过去四十年间显著上升。这些结果共同指出，人们认为社会环境的竞争水平在提高（例如物质主义的提高），而人们之间在变得越来越疏远（例如周围大多数人关系型特质的降低）。

Abstract: Folk theory of culture change suggest that an increase in competitiveness but decline in warmth is expected around the world. To test whether this is true in China, we asked Chinese in Beijing to evaluate their perceived others (current and forty years ago). Results showed that, when appraising others, participants reported a decrease in positive traits and an increase of negative traits. The rising traits included both agentic (e.g. lazy, fragile) and communal ones (e.g. indifferent, arrogant), while the declining traits included only communal ones (e.g. kind, loyal). In addition, participants reported that others around them are displaying a rise in materialism in the last forty years. The results convergently indicate that people perceive that the social environment is perceived as becoming more competitive (higher on materialism) and less warm (lower on communal traits).