Work

Decomposing cultural differences in behavior toward members of different social groups

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Prosocial behavior is a hallmark of human societies, yet its expression—and the benefits it confers—varies across cultures. While such variation is well documented, the underlying cognitive mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we propose a decomposition of cultural differences in prosocial behavior into two key components: (i) social perception, capturing how cultural groups view others on dimensions of warmth and competence, and (ii) social valuation, reflecting how these perceptions influence the value of social actions. Using behavioral data from economic games involving participants in the United States and China (n = 5,428), we show strong evidence of a double dissociation at the level of between- and within-country variation: whereas social perception differences dominated in accounting for between-country differences, within-country differences were more driven by variation in social valuation. These findings offer a mechanistic account of cultural influences on prosocial behavior and highlight the value of computational approaches in cross-cultural research.

Source: PNAS Nexus

DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgag172

Authors: Jiashu Wang, Adrianna C Jenkins, Colin F Camerer, Ming Hsu, Jingjing Ma

Institutions: Renmin University of China, University of Pennsylvania, California Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, Peking University

Language: English

Topic: Experimental Behavioral Economics Studies

Subfield: Safety Research

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $4,202

Funders: National Science Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation