Money for us versus money for them: cross-cultural differences in sensitivity to rewards for ingroup and outgroup

Economic decisions often involve consideration of social groups, as when a decision has consequences not just for oneself but also for an in-group or out-group member. Culture—specifically, differences between Western individualistic and Eastern collectivist cultures—has direct influence on perception of social group identity. Yet, not many studies have investigated how culture might influence economic decision making involving social groups. The current study determined cultural influences on sensitivity to rewards directed towards their ingroup and outgroup. American and Korean students performed a simple card game, in which they earned money for ingroup and outgroup members by choosing from amongst four card decks each associated with different reward outcomes for the two groups. Performance on the card game showed a culture-by-reward-group interaction such that Koreans showed greater reward sensitivity for the ingroup than did Americans. These results demonstrate significant cross-cultural differences in the processing of rewards towards different social groups.