Department of Social and Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Politics, Psychology, and Sociology, University of Cambridge, Free School Lane, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Am Psychol. 2010 Sep;65(6):548-58. doi: 10.1037/a0018194.
There is overwhelming evidence from research in the regional sciences that the attitudes, values, and behaviors of Americans are geographically clustered. Psychologists, however, have historically had little to say about regional differences. This article aims to redress that neglect. In so doing, I provide evidence that there are statewide personality differences across the United States, offer potential explanations for those differences, and show that regional personality differences are linked to a variety of important social indicators. I also explain how a regional perspective can inform research in a variety of areas in psychology and suggest ways in which researchers can study regional differences in their own work. Ultimately, this work is intended to raise awareness in psychology about the value that a regional perspective can add to theory and research.
有大量的区域科学研究证据表明，美国人的态度、价值观和行为在地理上是聚类的。然而，心理学家在历史上对区域差异几乎没有什么可说的。本文旨在纠正这种忽视。为此，我提供了证据表明，美国各州之间存在人格差异，为这些差异提供了潜在的解释，并表明区域人格差异与各种重要的社会指标有关。我还解释了区域视角如何为心理学的各种领域的研究提供信息，并提出了研究人员如何在自己的工作中研究区域差异的方法。最终，这项工作旨在提高心理学界对区域视角在理论和研究中所能增加的价值的认识。
