Kristy Dean, Department of Psychology,
Biculturalism and the health benefits of social flexibility
         Dr. Dean's pilot studies are a product of a larger program of research based on the assertion that as an individual becomes adept at navigating distinct cultural situations, they are acquiring skills that assist them when navigating distinct interpersonal situations that are culturally universal. Like ongoing and future projects, the proposed studies emphasize the functionality of social flexibility: the aim of the proposed studies is to explore whether such social flexibility is a resiliency factor in the development of psychological and physical health problems. Although existing research on social competence supports this proposition, measurements of social flexibility specifically are lacking. Current measures rely on respondents' self-reported flexibility, and are thus open to personal bias (Riggio, 1986). Current measures do not directly assess the social-appropriateness of behavioral responses across situations, and thus are lacking in realism (Paulhus & Martin, 1988). As such, Dr. Dean has created a measure of social flexibility that she believes will resolve these oversights.
        The current studies offer preliminary insight into this issue, however future work can test methods to foster social flexibility and subsequently enhance health in immigrants and ethnic minorities. Thus, the proposed studies are a first step in demonstrating the functionality of social flexibility. The proposed external grant opportunity will allow for further development of this objective by furthering the development of the social flexibility construct.