Abstract

This research examines the effect of last name on acquisition timing for Chinese. Previous research suggests that there is a significant negative correlation between the depth of the first letter of surname in the alphabet and response time to acquisition opportunities in Western culture. This research illustrates whether this finding holds in Chinese culture over three studies. We find an opposite conclusion that the earlier in the pinyin alphabet the first letter of surname is, the faster the person responses to acquisition opportunities. We suppose that it lies in the difference between Chinese culture and western. Additionally, this research also expands the concept of “last name” from depth into the alphabet the first letter of one’s last name (pinyin in Chinese system), to number of strokes of first letter of one’s last name and student ID for Chinese subjects, as the stroke is a feature of Chinese name and the student ID is related to the class registers. Findings suggest that there is no significant correlation between number of strokes and response time, and there is a partial significant positive correlation between student ID and response time, indicating the earlier the ID locates in register sheet, students respond quicker.

Key words: The last name effect, acquisition timing, consumer behavior, culture.