Predictive validity of the host community acculturation scale: The effects of social dominance orientation and the belief in biological determinism

In this study, the predictive validity of the Italian version of the host community acculturation scale (HCAS; Barrette, Bourhis, Capozza, & Hichy, 2005) was tested using multiple regression. Participants (university students) completed the HCAS for three target groups (Immigrants, the Chinese, Albanians). Acculturation attitudes were measured in the domains of employment and cultural heritage. Social dominance orientation (SDO; Sidanius & Pratto, 1999), national and political identification were used as predictors for each acculturation orientation. In line with previous research, results showed that SDO was the main predictor of the acculturation orientations. Authors hypothesized that the effect of SDO was mediated by the belief in genetic determinism (BDG; Keller, 2005), namely, the belief that members of social categories share immutable characteristics, fixed in the genes. Results supported the hypothesis, but only in the culture domain and for the rejection orientations.