Editing False consensus effect (section)

== Cross-cultural perspectives ==
In more recent years, researchers have taken to exploring potential differences in how the false consensus effect manifests across cultures. While there is still a notable gap in cross-cultural literature, growing empirical evidence posits differences in the strength and prevalence of the false consensus effect contingent on cultural context. 

Broadly, research has found differences in the false consensus effect on the bases of [[individualism]] and [[collectivism]]. Individualistic cultures encourage distinguishing the self from others and expressing unique characteristics, while collectivistic cultures value group harmony and cohesion.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Fatehi |first1=Kamal |last2=Priestley |first2=Jennifer L |last3=Taasoobshirazi |first3=Gita |date=2020-04-01 |title=The expanded view of individualism and collectivism: One, two, or four dimensions? |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1470595820913077# |journal=International Journal of Cross Cultural Management |language=EN |volume=20 |issue=1 |pages=7–24 |doi=10.1177/1470595820913077 |issn=1470-5958|url-access=subscription }}</ref> One particularly well-studied difference between individualistic and collectivistic cultures is the way in which individuals consist of and understand their sense of self, or [[self-concept]]: people in collectivistic cultures are found to have more interdependent self-concepts, in which the self is understood through relationships with close others; whereas people in individualistic cultures are found to have more independent self-concepts, in which the self is understood through personal characteristics that distinguish the self from others.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Markus |first1=Hazel R. |last2=Kitayama |first2=Shinobu |date=April 1991 |title=Culture and the self: Implications for cognition, emotion, and motivation. |url=https://doi.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0033-295X.98.2.224 |journal=Psychological Review |language=en |volume=98 |issue=2 |pages=224–253 |doi=10.1037/0033-295X.98.2.224 |issn=1939-1471|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Differences in individualism and collectivism, and more specifically self-concept, suggest differences in perceptions and social motivations<ref>{{Citation |last1=Miyamoto |first1=Yuri |title=Cultural Perspectives |date=2013 |work=Handbook of Social Psychology |pages=595–624 |editor-last=DeLamater |editor-first=John |url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-94-007-6772-0_20 |access-date=2025-04-03 |place=Dordrecht |publisher=Springer Netherlands |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-94-007-6772-0_20 |isbn=978-94-007-6771-3 |last2=Eggen |first2=Amanda |editor2-last=Ward |editor2-first=Amanda|url-access=subscription }}</ref> that researchers theorize affect the influence of the false consensus effect. 

Choi & Cha (2019)<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Choi |first1=Incheol |last2=Cha |first2=Oona |date=2019-12-11 |title=Cross-Cultural Examination of the False Consensus Effect |journal=Frontiers in Psychology |language=English |volume=10 |doi=10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02747 |doi-access=free |pmid=31920804 |issn=1664-1078|pmc=6917617 }}</ref> find differences in the strength of the false consensus effect based on domain. In studying Koreans and European Americans, they find that false consensus effects are stronger in Koreans regarding political beliefs, personal problems, and behavioural choices, but not for personal traits and values. They suggest that these findings are a result of differences in individualism and collectivism, as they influence attribution and motivation. As collectivism places greater emphasis on situational factors, researchers posit that individuals will assume situational factors are dictating behaviour more so than people from individualistic cultures who are likely to attribute behaviour to disposition.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Miyamoto |first1=Yuri |title=Cultural Perspectives |date=2013 |work=Handbook of Social Psychology |pages=595–624 |editor-last=DeLamater |editor-first=John |url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-94-007-6772-0_20 |access-date=2025-04-03 |place=Dordrecht |publisher=Springer Netherlands |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-94-007-6772-0_20 |isbn=978-94-007-6771-3 |last2=Eggen |first2=Amanda |editor2-last=Ward |editor2-first=Amanda|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Thus, it is suggested that Koreans perceive greater similarity in domains with increased potential for social influence, as individuals perceive others as being similarly influenced by the situation. By contrast, it is suggested that in these same domains European Americans perceive less similarity as they view behaviours and opinions as resulting from an individual's personal characteristics. Additionally, they suggest that differences in perceived similarity across domains may be influenced by differences in consistency. Prior cross-cultural research finds that independence is motivated by self-consistency across contexts, while interdependence is motivated by consistency within social roles.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Miyamoto |first1=Yuri |title=Cultural Perspectives |date=2013 |work=Handbook of Social Psychology |pages=595–624 |editor-last=DeLamater |editor-first=John |url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-94-007-6772-0_20 |access-date=2025-04-03 |place=Dordrecht |publisher=Springer Netherlands |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-94-007-6772-0_20 |isbn=978-94-007-6771-3 |last2=Eggen |first2=Amanda |editor2-last=Ward |editor2-first=Amanda|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The researchers thus posit that European Americans perceive similarity in personal traits and values as they views these domains as more consistent. Further, they suggest that Koreans perceive greater similarity in domains that implicate others as they understand consistency through social roles and relationships.

Similar research by Ott-Holland et al. (2014)<ref>{{Cite journal |title=University of Toronto Libraries |url=https://login.library.utoronto.ca/index.php?url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0092656614000774 |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=library.utoronto.ca | doi=10.1016/j.jrp.2014.07.010 |language=en|url-access=subscription }}</ref> finds evidence of greater false consensus in collectivistic cultures. Specifically, they look at institutional collectivism in which action for collective purpose and benefit is valued over individual action.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bhawuk |first=Dharm P. S. |date=2017-06-27 |title=Individualism and Collectivism |url=https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118783665.ieicc0107 |journal=The International Encyclopedia of Intercultural Communication |pages=1–9 |doi=10.1002/9781118783665.ieicc0107|isbn=978-1-118-78394-8 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> They find that people from countries high in institutional collectivism perceive more similarity between themselves and others than people from individualistic countries. Researches posit that emphasis on collective action motivates perceptions of similarity. However, this effect was small and a limited number of countries were studied. 

Overall, the existing empirical work provides evidence of notable cross-cultural differences in the false consensus effect. It generally appears that in certain contexts, false consensus is stronger in collectivistic cultures. Though, this facet of cross-cultural research is still developing and the work thus far has been limited to specific collectivistic societies that cannot generalize to all contexts.