The Dimensional Structure of Asian American Acculturation: An Examination of Prototypes TAI CHANG Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York, USA TERENCE J. G. TRACEY Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA THOMAS L. MOORE University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, USA This study investigated the dimensional structure of acculturation for three prototypic groups of Asian Americans: those who were more Asian identified, those who were more American identified, and those who were jointly Asian and American identified. Three-way multidimensional scaling revealed a two-dimensional structure in which the first dimension consisted of language and culture domains and the second dimension contained cultural identity and values domains. These findings are consistent with the theoretical literature that distinguishes between external and internal aspects of acculturation (e.g., Kwan & Sodowsky, 1997). The first dimension was salient for the American identified prototype group, the second dimension was salient for the Asian identified group, and both dimensions were salient for the Asian and American identified group. Implications of the dimensional structure are discussed with respect to the predominant models of acculturation and identity for Asian Americans (e.g., Berry, 1989; Sue & Sue, 2003; Suinn, Rickard- Figueroa, Lew, & Vigil, 1987), the role of sociocultural context, and Linville’s (1987) theory of cognitive complexity. Recommendations are made for the assessment of acculturation among Asian Americans. Acculturation has become an increasingly important construct in psychology (Berry, 1989; Ponterotto, Baluch, & Carielli, 1998; Stephenson, 2000). Much of this interest has stemmed from the recognition that ethnic groups are not monolithic entities, and that it is important to account for differences among individuals within these groups. Acculturation involves ‘‘the process by which individuals change, both by being influenced by contact with another culture and by being participants in the general acculturation changes under way in their own culture’’ (Berry, 1989, p. 204). Berry further proposed that acculturative changes in individuals are manifested in Received 15 July 2002; accepted 10 January 2004 We thank Susan Choi for her assistance in the collection and preparation of the data and Anna Hui for her help in the collection of the data. Address correspondence to Tai Chang, Department of Counseling, Research, Special Education, and Rehabilitation, 163 Hagedorn Hall, Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York 11549, USA. E-mail: Tai.Chang@hofstra.edu Self and Identity, 4: 25–43, 2005 Copyright # 2005 Psychology Press ISSN: 1529-8868 print/1529-8876 online DOI: 10.1080/13576500444000155 25