The cultural convergence of Korean immigrants in Hawaii: an empirical test of a mathematical theory

Data from native-language structured interviews conducted with Korean immigrants in Honolulu, Hawaii (N = 401, classified in subgroups according to length of stay) concerning cultural values are analyzed & compared to four other ethnic samples (Caucasian, Filipino, Japanese, & Samoan) to assess the "equilibrium configuration" of cultural convergence in the entire population. This configuration is modeled in terms of the second law of thermodynamics, employing a series of differential equations originally developed to model damped harmonic oscillations, here used to predict rates of convergence; findings indicate movement toward the equilibrium position over the fifteen years studied, based on year-by-year comparisons. The equations for underdamped & critically damped harmonic motions are seen as fitting the data substantially better than the overdamped equation. The use of thermodynamic models in integrating human & physical nonequilibrium processes is therefore deemed highly appropriate for such survey research. 1 Table, 3 Figures, 24 References. Modified HA.