Same tasks, but different foci? Intercultural differences on cognitive, knowledge and assessment center measures when comparing a homogenous west-European sample of cadet pilot applicants with a highly heterogeneous sample from Mauritius.

Kurzfassung

A sample of 52 Mauritian cadet pilot applicants was compared to a sample of 860 German cadet pilot applicants on several cognitive selection exercises and an expert rating of social skills shown during an assessment center exercise. Initial results imply that Mauritians in general – and in spite of a high intra-variability of cultural determinants – were significantly biased towards a more cooperation-oriented team work approach. While some foreseeable differences on knowledge tests could be found, the performance on various cognitive tasks showed unexpected differences. Limitations of the design and future directions for the intercultural comparison of heterogeneous with more homogenous cultural groups are discussed.