¡Hola! Have we met before? Cultural influences on flirting styles
Location
SU-103
Department
Psychology
Abstract
Previous researchers explain the difference between types of flirting that exist and also mention the importance of different contexts. However, there is little or no evidence about how flirting styles can change among different cultures, and thus, how people from different cultures begin relationships. Factors such as individualistic and collectivist cultures, and religion may impact this behavior. This research examined flirting styles in two cultures: US and Salvadoran. The Flirting Styles Inventory, Collectivism and Individualism scale (INDCOL), and demographic information were used to test this hypothesis with a between subject design study. The surveys were validated in Spanish by a translation of the scales from English to Spanish, and then back-translated from Spanish to English for validation. A t-test and a correlational analysis were used to analyze the data. Around 260 college psychology students from the US and UNIVO from El Salvador participated in the study using the Qualtrics Survey to collect data. Preliminary analyses reveal significant differences in how religion affects flirting style preferences. This research may help to broaden our understanding of how flirting may vary among cultures, or if flirtation behavior is actually a universal phenomenon that shares the same characteristics both within and across cultural backgrounds.
Faculty Sponsor
Maureen Erber
¡Hola! Have we met before? Cultural influences on flirting styles
SU-103
Previous researchers explain the difference between types of flirting that exist and also mention the importance of different contexts. However, there is little or no evidence about how flirting styles can change among different cultures, and thus, how people from different cultures begin relationships. Factors such as individualistic and collectivist cultures, and religion may impact this behavior. This research examined flirting styles in two cultures: US and Salvadoran. The Flirting Styles Inventory, Collectivism and Individualism scale (INDCOL), and demographic information were used to test this hypothesis with a between subject design study. The surveys were validated in Spanish by a translation of the scales from English to Spanish, and then back-translated from Spanish to English for validation. A t-test and a correlational analysis were used to analyze the data. Around 260 college psychology students from the US and UNIVO from El Salvador participated in the study using the Qualtrics Survey to collect data. Preliminary analyses reveal significant differences in how religion affects flirting style preferences. This research may help to broaden our understanding of how flirting may vary among cultures, or if flirtation behavior is actually a universal phenomenon that shares the same characteristics both within and across cultural backgrounds.