Acculturation Index – Revised (AI-R)

Abstract

The Acculturation Index – Revised (AI-R) is a psychological scale designed to measure an individual’s orientation toward, and identification with, two distinct cultural environments: the culture of origin (or co-national culture) and the host or majority culture. Developed initially from the work of Ward and Rana-Dueba (1999) and subsequently adapted by Tom et al. (2000) for specific use with African-American populations in relation to White/Caucasian American culture, the AI-R operates on a bidimensional model of acculturation. It assesses four key domains of cultural engagement: religious beliefs, life experiences, values, and social preferences. The instrument utilizes a 7-point Likert scale format.

Keywords

Acculturation Index, AI-R, Acculturation, African-American Culture, Host Culture, Biculturalism, Ethnic Identity, Cross-Cultural Psychology, Assimilation, Integration.

Authors

Ward, C., Rana-Dueba, A. (Original Development, 1999); Tom, D., Kristel, O. V., Highlen, P. S. (Adaptation and Application, 2000).

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Acculturation Index – Revised (AI-R) is to quantitatively assess the degree to which an individual engages with and internalizes the customs, values, and social practices of both their ethnic heritage group (co-national identification) and the dominant cultural group (host-national identification). This measurement allows researchers to categorize individuals into the four major acculturation strategies derived from the bidimensional model: Separation, Integration, Assimilation, and Marginalization.

By using parallel items that target both cultural groups, the scale provides a nuanced understanding of biculturalism and cultural adaptation, moving beyond older, unidimensional models of acculturation that assumed a linear loss of ethnic culture as host culture engagement increased.

Construct

The AI-R is fundamentally structured to measure the psychological construct of acculturation attitudes and behaviors. It specifically captures two independent dimensions:

1. Orientation towards the Culture of Origin (Co-national Identification): The extent to which an individual maintains their ethnic culture, values, and social networks (e.g., African-American culture in the original application).
2. Orientation towards the Host Culture (Host-national Identification): The extent to which an individual adopts the host society’s culture, values, and establishes social relationships within the majority group (e.g., White/Caucasian American culture).

These two dimensions are measured across several domains, including religious beliefs, life experiences, values, cultural identification, cultural preference, and friendship maintenance. The resulting scores allow researchers to map respondents onto Berry’s model of acculturation strategies.

Validity

Specific validity evidence for the AI-R is primarily documented within the applied studies that utilized the revised scale, notably the dissertation work by Tom (2006). The scale demonstrates strong construct validity by clearly separating the two intended dimensions (co-national and host-national identification), which is crucial for operationalizing the bidimensional model of acculturation.

The content validity is high, as the items directly address key components of cultural maintenance and adoption, such as values, identity, and social interaction. Furthermore, the use of the AI-R in studies linking acculturation strategy to outcomes like coping mechanisms and responses to perceived discrimination (Tom et al., 2000) supports its criterion validity, showing that the scale scores predict relevant psychological and behavioral outcomes.

Reliability

While detailed reliability coefficients (such as Cronbach’s alpha) are typically reported in the original research papers (Ward & Rana-Dueba, 1999) and subsequent applications (Tom, 2006), the AI-R is generally expected to exhibit high internal consistency for its subscales (Co-national Orientation and Host-national Orientation). The reliability of scales measuring acculturation is essential to ensure that the instrument consistently measures the degree of cultural engagement across the different item domains (beliefs, values, friends). Users should consult the source materials for specific reliability indices obtained within their target population.

Factor Analysis

The structure of the AI-R strongly implies that it is built upon a two-factor model, corresponding precisely to the two orientations it intends to measure: Co-national Identification and Host-national Identification. Factor analysis conducted on samples using the AI-R should confirm this bidimensional structure, where items related to the ethnic group load onto one factor, and items related to the host culture load onto a separate, orthogonal or oblique factor. This confirmation of two distinct factors is necessary to support the use of the scale for classifying individuals into the four acculturation categories (Separation, Integration, Assimilation, Marginalization).

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report Psychological scale; Measure of Acculturation Attitudes and Identification.

Format: 14 items, typically utilizing a 7-point Likert scale response format, ranging from 1= Not at All to 7=Completely.

Language Available: English. (Note: The measure is designed to be adapted by replacing “African-American(s)” with other ethnic groups, such as “Asian(s),” as indicated in the original documentation.)

Population Group: Generally used for ethnic minority groups residing within a majority host culture.

Age Group: Typically used with adolescents and adults.

Population Details: Originally applied to African-American students and participants regarding their engagement with White/Caucasian American culture.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate their level of agreement or similarity concerning various cultural aspects (beliefs, values, identification, social preference) relative to both their ethnic group and the majority group.

Keywords

Bicultural Identity, Cultural Adaptation, Ethnic Minorities, Social Preferences, Values, Cross-Cultural Psychology, Measurement, Psychological Assessment, Cultural Similarity, Identity.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Information not provided in source material)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Information not provided in source material)

Correspondence Address: N/A (Information not provided in source material)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The foundational work for the AI-R was published by Ward & Rana-Dueba in 1999. The specific adaptation used by Tom et al. occurred around 2000. Permissions for use should be sought from the primary authors (Ward & Rana-Dueba) or referenced through the academic works where the instrument was published or utilized. The instrument was notably used in a 2006 PhD dissertation by David M. Tom, which provides context for its application.

Reference’s

The instrument and related research can be found via the following sources:

• Ward, C., & Rana-Dueba, A. (1999). Acculturation and adaptation revisited. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 30(4), 422-442.
• Tom, D., Kristel, O. V., & Highlen, P. S. (2000). Attributions to discrimination and coping: the role of attributions. Unpublished raw data.
• Tom. David M., (2006). Effects of perceived discrimination: rejection and identification as two distinct pathways and their associated effects. Ohio State University. PhD dissertation.

The instrument, as used in the 2006 dissertation, can be found online: http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1135887227

Items of the Acculturation Index – Revised (AI-R)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. Are your religious beliefs similar to those of other African-Americans?
2. Are your religious beliefs similar to White/Caucasian Americans?
3. Are your life experiences similar to those of other African-Americans?
4. Are your life experiences similar to White/Caucasian Americans?
5. Are your values similar to those of other African-Americans?
6. Are your values similar to White/Caucasian Americans?
7. Do you identify with African-American culture?
8. Do you identify with White/Caucasian American culture?
9. Do you like African-American culture?
10. Do you like White/Caucasian-American culture?
11. Is it important to you to maintain many African-American friends?
12. Is it important to you to maintain many White/Caucasian-American friends?
13. Is it important for you to practice African-American customs?
14. Is it important for you to practice White/Caucasian-American customs?

Response Scale: 1= Not at All, 2=A Little, 3=Somewhat, 4= Moderately, 5=Quite a Bit, 6=A Lot, 7=Completely