Cultural differences in dynamic decision-making strategies in a non-linear, time-delayed task

People in every culture must deal with time and the uncertainties of the future. This study investigates how people in five countries make decisions in the dynamic simulation COLDSTORE with its non-linear time development (Reichert & Dörner, 1988). We expected that, (1) as in the original study (Reichert, 1986), only 20% of all participants would deal adequately with the simulation; (2) an adapting, cautious decision-making strategy would be most successful, and an extreme oscillating decision-making strategy least successful; and (3) based on cultural differences in pace of life and time orientation, German and US participants would show adaptor-type decision making more often and Indian, Filipino, and Brazilian participants would show oscillator-type decision making more often. Controlling for age, gender, computer experience, and intelligence, results confirmed all hypotheses. Performance and strategies were further analyzed regarding participants’ reflections about their own procedure and simulation characteristics. The cross-cultural differences in dynamic decision-making strategies found in this study highlight the cultural embeddedness of people’s cognitive processes.