Latent Profiles of Decision-Making Styles: Cross-Cultural Comparison of Russian and Chinese Samples

Abstract

Background. In recent years, the identification of individual style regulation of decision-making (DM) has become relevant, since DM is an integral characteristic of human life in a complex and uncertain world. As a new aspect, the cross-cultural commonality and specificity of the emotional and personal components of DM are highlighted. Objective. The aim is to carry out a cross-cultural analysis of the decision-making style of Russian and Chinese samples according to productive and unproductive approaches to coping with uncertainty distinguished in the Melbourne Decision Making Questionnaire (MDMQ). Sample. The sample consisted of 531 participants: 259 from Russia (Мage= 27,67; 32,4 % men) and 272 from China (Мage= 27,76; 38,6 % men). Methods. The four-factor structure of MDMQ for the Chinese sample was verified. In addition, the participants were presented with the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule — PANAS. All participants were tested through informed collaboration; in Russian sample it was conducted in person, in Chinese sample online testing through the Wen Zhuan Xing (问卷星) platform was involved. Results. Cross-cultural comparison of sample means revealed greater Vigilance in Russians and greater Back-Passing and Hypervigilance in Chinese participants. Correlation analysis has shown (1) similar interrelations of unproductive coping among Russians and Chinese men and differences in Chinese women; (2) positive relations of Vigilance with positive affect and positive relations of unproductive coping with negative affect. Conclusions. Considering differences in the variables of personal regulation of decision making, we should speak about the generality of their correlation in the latent classes of the two cultural samples.

Keywords

• decision making
• vigilance
• back-passing
• procrastination
• melbourne decision making questionnaire