Beliefs About Time: Cross-Cultural Comparisons

Block, Saggau, and Nickel (1983-1984) investigated beliefs about time and temporal experience in a sample of American college students. In the present study, the same questionnaire was administered to students in Japan and Malawi. Factor analysis revealed similarities acid differences in the structure of beliefs reported by students in the three countries. Belief structures and beliefs concerning physical time and personal time were somewhat different across the three groups, suggesting cultural influences. However, belief structures and beliefs about experienced duration and remembered duration were similar across cultures.