Authoritarianism: A Construct of Chinese Culture Described Using a Neural Network

Previous research has shown that culture is a key issue in global aviation safety and that authoritarianism might be the most important cultural variable. Chinese authoritarianism, or "dragonality," is particularly complex and includes three attributes: inscrutable power, auspicious expectation and family clan. This study explores the possibility of establishing a quantitative methodology for describing Chinese authoritarianism by using a neural network. Combining the crew resource management (CRM) survey data obtained in Taiwan and the understanding of "dragonality" deduced from previous studies, a four-dimensional model was proposed. The corresponding questionnaire was designed to measure the dependence of the authoritarian questions in the CRM survey along each dimension. The results were combined for the training of the authoritarianism networks. The average error from the neural networks produced in predicting the survey results was found to be less than 30%. These findings indicate that the proposed methodology is feasible for the quantitative study of culture. Combining this concept with the four-dimensional model of Chinese authoritarianism establishes an expert system that can be used as a predictive tool to establish pilot's attitudes toward a problem and as a search tool to identify potential threats resulting from an intercultural gap.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/47250898
• Authors:
  • Jing, Hung-Sying
  • Yang, Lien-Cheng
• Publication Date: 2005

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 309-322
• Serial:
  • Human Factors and Aerospace Safety
  • Volume: 5
  • Issue Number: 4
  • Publisher: Ashgate Publishing Limited
  • ISSN: 1468-9456
  • Serial URL: http://www.ashgate.com/subject_area/aviation/aviation_journals.htm

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aviation safety; Crew resource management; Culture (Social sciences); Expert systems; Flight crews; Mathematical models; Methodology; Neural networks; Questionnaires; Surveys
• Uncontrolled Terms: Authoritarianism
• Geographic Terms: China; Taiwan
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Safety and Human Factors; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01044677
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 25 2007 11:10PM