Connecting across
Cultural Differences
Associate Professor
Recent Major Grants
01
Does hearing about someone doing a moral wrong feel like a "meaning disruption?" Can we use pupil dilation to track how much of a meaning violation that morally wrong behavior is, to you personally? Do dialectical thinkers use different ways to recover from that meaning violation? Four studies in Hong Kong, the Netherlands, and the U.K. will help us find out.
January 1 2022 – June 30 2024
02
January 1 2018 – June 30 2021
Is "doing a favor" by breaking a fair rule for close others a morally ambiguous form of corruption, while taking bribes is not? Particularism may involve moral conflicts that are increased by holding certain types of virtues, and affected in a specific way by environmental corruption.
03
January 2016 - June 2018
Is it morally good to treat different people differently? We looked for cultural similarities and differences in how acting inconsistently is related to perceptions of different virtues—such as being principled vs. being kind.
Grant Details:
01
“The Meaning of Cognitive Conflict across Cultures: Using Pupil Dilation to Identify Culturally-Relevant Meaning Disruptions and Conflict Compensation (R1287 / EdUHK 18605921).” (Jan 1, 2022-June 30, 2024), HKD$661,243. Funded by the Hong Kong Research Grant Council General Research Fund (RGC / GRF). PI: Emma E. Buchtel. Co-I’s: Travis Proulx, Willem Sleegers
02
“Filial values and “unhealthy practices:” When is corruption increased by Confucian virtues? The roles of moral conflict and societal transparency” (January 1 2018 – June 30 2021), HK$664,052, funded by the Hong Kong Research Grant Council General Research Fund (RGC / GRF). PI: Emma E. Buchtel. Co-I’s: Yanjun Guan, Xiao-xiao Liu, Hagop Sarkissian.
03
“Chinese Moral Character: What does it mean to be principled in a Confucian culture?” (January 2016 - June 2018), HK$553,840, funded by the Hong Kong Research Grant Council General Research Fund (RGC / GRF). PI: Emma E. Buchtel.
04
“Chinese morality: When propriety is part of the picture, what does morality mean? Testing and extending moral theory to fit lay concepts of a Confucian moral system” (Jan 2014- Jun 2017), HK$731,845, Early Career Scholar grant (RGC). PI: Emma E. Buchtel. Collaborators: Michael H. Bond, Steven M. Shardlow, Yanjie Su, & Yanjun Guan.
Related Public Talks
Culture, Morality and
Connecting Across Differences
TEDxEdUHK
Dr. Emma Buchtel gave some examples of how perspective-taking can allow you to reap the benefits of cultural difference, and on how to use her research on culture and morality to harness the power of cultural diversity. This talk also called for social mindfulness and an understanding of moral relativism in cultures, and how that should not be a basis of alienation.
By seeking out difference and trying to connect and integrate it, research suggests that we can become more creative, opening up more possibilities for new ideas and new ways of expressing yourself.
De-Essentializing Bar Graphs: Diversity Within Differences
How do you hold in your mind that yes, there ARE important cultural differences-- but, they don't apply to every topic, or every person? Cultural psychologists illustrate and emphasize interesting cultural differences with bar graphs, but we sure hope you don't misunderstand them. Let's take a look at why cultural differences shouldn't make you stereotype individuals: What it means when we say that "Within-culture differences are (almost always) bigger than between-culture differences."