Mapping the structure of human values through conceptual representations

The present research provides the first direct examination of human values through concept categorization tasks that entail judging the meaning of values. Seven studies containing data from nine samples (N = 1,086) in two countries (United Kingdom and Brazil) asked participants to compare the meaning of different values found within Schwartz’s (1992; Schwartz et al., 2012) influential quasi-circumplex model of values. Different methods were used across experiments, including direct similarity judgment tasks, pile sorting, and spatial arrangement. The results of these diverse conceptual assessments corresponded to spatial configurations that are broadly convergent with Schwartz’s model, both between and within participants.