Different Language, Different Behavior (6-25-08)

Kuna and his fellow researchers have recently collected additional information indicating that when people are speaking different languages, they behave differently. They report that “Language can be a cue that activates different culture-specific frames [behaviors]. The researchers worked with a group of bicultural Hispanic women and found that ‘The women classified themselves as more assertive when they spoke Spanish than when they spoke English . . .in the Spanish-;language sessions, informants perceived females as more self-sufficient and extroverted.’” The fact that mental outlook can vary based on the language being spoken has implications for the design of places that will be used by individuals who will speak different languages at different times.

David Kuna, Torsten Ringberg, and Laura Peracchio. 2008. “One Individual, Two Identities: Frame-Switching Among Biculturals.” Journal of Consumer Research, in press.