This study presents evidence on the cross-cultural generalizability of differential association/social learning theory by testing whether the causal processes of learning attitudes toward deviance, posited by the theory, are equally applicable, and the causal links, specified by the theory, are equally strong in two diverse cultures—the USA and Japan. Drawing on the literature concerning cultural variability in individualism-collectivism, we predicted that the effects of peer reactions to deviance and peer deviance on a person’s attitudes toward deviance should be stronger in Japan than in the USA, and that the mediating effect of a person’s attitudes on the relationship of peer reactions and peer deviance to a person’s deviance should be weaker among Japanese than among Americans. Analyses of comparable survey data from college students in the USA (N = 625) and Japan (N = 591) provide generally supportive, but somewhat mixed, evidence regarding our predictions. In both countries, peer reactions to deviance predicted student attitudes toward deviance more strongly than did peer deviance. Peer deviance strongly predicted student deviance, while peer reactions to deviance predicted less strongly, and the effects were mediated by student attitudes in both countries. Contrary to the hypotheses, peer reactions and peer deviance did not predict student attitudes more strongly in Japan than in the USA. Also, peer deviance predicted student deviance more strongly in the USA than in Japan. In agreement with the expectations, the relation between student attitudes and student deviance was stronger in the USA than in Japan.

中文翻译：

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同伴反应、同伴行为、学生态度和学生偏差：日本和美国大学生的比较

本研究通过测试理论假设的学习偏差态度的因果过程是否同样适用，以及理论指定的因果关系是否同样适用，为差异关联/社会学习理论的跨文化概括性提供了证据。在美国和日本这两种不同的文化中都很强大。借鉴有关个人主义-集体主义文化可变性的文献，我们预测，在日本，同伴对越轨行为和同伴越轨行为的反应对一个人对越轨行为的态度的影响应该比美国更强，并且一个人态度的中介作用在同辈反应和同龄人越轨与一个人的越轨之间的关系上，日本人应该比美国人弱。对来自美国（N = 625）和日本（N = 591）大学生的可比调查数据的分析提供了关于我们预测的普遍支持但有些混杂的证据。在这两个国家，同伴对越轨行为的反应比同伴越轨行为更能预测学生对越轨行为的态度。同伴越轨强烈预测学生越轨，而同伴对越轨的反应预测不那么强烈，并且影响是由两国学生的态度调节的。与假设相反，同龄人反应和同龄人偏差并没有比美国更强烈地预测日本学生的态度。此外，同辈偏差在美国比在日本更能预测学生的偏差。与预期一致的是，美国学生态度和学生越轨行为之间的关系比日本更强。