COMM-2150: Ch. 2 - The History and Study of Intercultural Cultural Communication
dialectic
1. A method of logic based on the principle that an idea generates its opposite, leading to a reconciliation of the opposites; 2. the complex and paradoxical relationship between two opposite qualities or entities, each of which may also be referred to as a dialectic.
ethnography
A discipline that examines the patterned interactions and significant symbols of specific cultural groups to identify the cultural norms that guide their behaviors, usually based on field studies.
Textual analysis
A research method that examines cultural contexts such as media-television, movies, journalistic essays, speeches.
participant observation
A research method where investigators interact extensively with the cultural group being studied.
rhetorical approach
A research method, dating back to ancient Greece, in which scholars try to interpret the meanings or persuasion used in texts or oral discourses in the contexts in which they occur.
functionalist approach
A study of intercultural communication (also called the social science approach) based on the assumptions that: 1. there is a describable, external reality, 2. human behaviors are predictable, and 3. culture is a variable that can be measured. This approach aims to identify and explain cultural variations in communication and to predict future communication.
emic
A term stemming from phonemic. The ____ way of inquiry focuses on understanding communication patterns from inside a particular cultural community or context.
etic
A term stemming from phonetic. The ____ inquiry searches for universal generalizations across cultures from a distance.
Cultural-Individual Dialectic
Amelia, who tends to be relationally oriented. Although her role as a woman and the relationships she cultivates in that role are important, being a woman does not completely define her behaviors.
Interpretive approach
An approach to intercultural communication that aims to understand and describe human behavior within specific cultural groups based on the assumptions that" (1) human experience is subjective, (2) human behavior is creative rather than determined or easily predicted, and (3) culture is created and maintained through communication.
dialectical approach
An approach to intercultural communication that integrates three approaches - functionalist (or social science), interpretive, and critical - in understanding culture and communication. It recognizes and accepts that the three approaches are interconnected and sometimes contradictory.
Dialectic Approach
An approach to intercultural communication that integrates three approaches— functionalist (or social science), interpretive, and critical—in understanding culture and communication. It recognizes and accepts that the three approaches are interconnected and sometimes contradictory.
hybrid identity
An identity that is consciously a mixture of different cultural identities and cultural traditions.
Post-colonialism
An intellectual, political, and cultural movement that calls for the independence of colonialized states and also liberation from colonialist ways of thinking.
afrocentricity
An orientation toward African or African American cultural standards, including beliefs and values, as the criteria for interpreting behaviors and attitudes.
Textual analysis of media
Critical approach's Method of Study
Changeable
Critical approach's assumption of Human Behavior
Subjective and Material
Critical approach's assumption of reality (2)
differences-similarities dialectic
Dialectic that allows us to examine how we are simultaneously different from and similar to others.
cultural-individual dialectic
Dialectic that captures the interplay between patterned behaviors learned from a cultural group and individual behaviors that may be variations on or counter to those of the larger culture.
privilege-disadvantage dialectic
Dialectic that explains how people may be simultaneously privileged and disadvantaged, or privileged in some contexts and disadvantaged in others.
personal-contextual dialectic
Dialectic that highlights the connection between our personal patterns of and preferences for communicating and how various contexts influence the personal.
History/Past-Present/Future Dialectic
Dialectic that reminds us to acknowledge how the past informs our communication in the present, how the present influences our view of the past, and how the past and present will affect our future.
Static-Dynamic Dialectic
Dialectic that suggests culture and communication change over time, yet often appear to be and are experienced as stable.
textual analysis
Examination of cultural texts such as media - television, movies, journalistic essays, and so on.
Culture is a site of power struggles
How does the Critical Approach describe the relationship of culture and communication?
Culture is created and maintained through communication
How does the Interpretive Approach describe the relationship of culture and communication?
Communication is influenced by culture
How does the Social Sciences Approach describe the relationship of culture and communication?
Equifinality
In Systems Theory, __________ refers to the ability to achieve the same goals through different means
Wholeness/Nonsummativity
In Systems Theory, __________ refers to the idea that a system cannot be fully comprehended by a study of its individual parts.
Interdependence
In Systems Theory, __________ refers to the idea that all members affect and are affected by shifts and changes in the system.
Hierarchy
In Systems Theory, __________ refers to the idea that all systems are embedded in other systems or suprasystems.
Calibration/Feedback
In Systems Theory, __________ refers to the idea that all systems need stability and constancy within a defined range.
Boundaries
In Systems Theory, __________ refers to the idea that systems develop __________themselves and the subsystems they contain.
Creative and voluntary
Interpretative approach's assumption of Human Behavior (2)
Subjective
Interpretative approach's assumption of reality
Participant observation / field study
Interpretive approach's Method of Study (2)
Differences-Similarities Dialectic
Japanese and U.S. Americans communicate differently, just as do men and women. However, there also are many similarities in human experiences and ways of communicating.
Privilege-Disadvantage Dialectic
Many tourists are in the position of economic privilege because they can afford to travel, but in their travels, they also may be disadvantaged if they do not speak the local language.
History/Past-Present/Future Dialectic
Racial conflicts of the past and future possible improvement for certain groups.
processual
Refers to how interaction happens rather than to the outcome.
qualitative methods
Research methods that attempt to capture people's own meanings for their everyday behavior in specific contexts. These methods use participant observation and field studies.
quantitative methods
Research methods that use numerical indicators to capture and ascertain the relationships among variables. These methods use survey and observation.
Cultural-Individual Dialectic
Sandra, a fifth-generation Italian American, tends to be expressive, like other members of her family. However, some of her communication patterns—such as the way she gestures when she talks—are completely idiosyncratic
Survey / Observation
Social Sciences approach's Method of Study (2)
Predictable
Social Sciences approach's assumption of Human Behavior
External and Describable
Social Sciences approach's assumption of reality (2)
Social Science
The Functionalist Approach is another name for which approach?
intercultural competence
The ability to behave effectively and appropriately in interacting across cultures.
distance zones
The area, defined by physical space, within which people interact, according to Edward Hall's theory of proxemics.
Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
The assumption that language shapes our ideas and guides our view of social reality. This hypothesis was proposed by Edward Sapir, a linguist, and his student, Benjamin Whorf, and represents the relativist view of language and perception.
Various
The discipline on which the Critical approach was founded
Anthropology/sociolinguistics
The discipline on which the Interpretative approach was founded
Psychology
The discipline on which the Social Science approach was founded
Privilege/Disadvantage Dialectic
The idea that an Asian American can receive advantages because he is educated, middle-class, and male yet also experience subtle and overt mistreatment based on his race and accent is an example of which dialectic?
translation equivalence
The linguistic sameness that is gained after translating and back-translating research materials several times using different translators.
Critical
The methodologies of this approach analyze the large power structures of that guide everyday life. Understanding this approach helps students grasp the invisible forces that alter our lives.
macrocontexts
The political, social, and historical situations, backgrounds, and environments that influence communication. (think BIG)
Change Behavior
The research goal of Critical approach
Describe Behavior
The research goal of Interpretive approach
Predict Behavior
The research goal of Social Science approach
conceptual equivalence
The similarity of linguistic terms and meanings across cultures.
individualistic
The tendency to emphasize individual identities, beliefs, needs, goals, and views rather than those of the group.
collectivistic
The tendency to focus on the goals, needs, and views of in the group rather than individuals' own goals, needs, and views.
diversity training
The training meant to facilitate intercultural communication among various gender, ethnic, and racial groups in the United States.
diffusion of innovations theory
The view that communication and relationships play important roles in how new ideas are adopted (or not) by individuals and groups.
conversational constraints theory
The view that cultural groups vary in their fundamental concerns regarding how conversational messages should be constructed.
Communication Accommodation Theory
The view that individuals adjust their verbal communication to facilitate understanding.
Anxiety Uncertainty Management Theory
The view that the reduction of anxiety and uncertainty plays an important role in successful intercultural communication, particularly when experiencing new cultures.
Interpretive
This approach emphasizes using language to describe human behavior. Understanding this approach is important to understanding how news is reported, how information is transferred, and how most people make decisions.
Social Science
This research style emphasizes statistical measures. Understanding quantitative approaches is critical to analyzing data and statistics. These are skills important in any walk of life.
Personal-Contextual Dialectic
Tom was teaching at a Belgian university, he often spoke from the social role of professor. But this role did not correspond exactly to the same role in the United States because Belgian students accord their professors far more respect and distance than do U.S. students. In Belgium, this social role was more important than his communication with the students. In contrast, his communication with students in the United States is more informal.
Paradigm
What is a framework that serves as the worldview for researcher?
Systems Theory
What theory views human behavior as the result of a series of factors that mutually influence one another
Static/Dynamic Dialectic
Which dialectic suggests that some intercultural communication patterns remain relatively constant and others aspects of culture change over time.
Cultural/Individual Dialectic
Which of the dialectic discussed in the text focuses simultaneously on the communication patterns we share with members of the group with which we belong and our idiosyncratic behaviors?
Critical
Which research paradigm recognizes the economic and political forces in culture and communication?
Interpretive
Which research paradigm studies communication and culture within contexts?
Interpretive
Which research paradigm uses ethnographic research-participant observation?
Social Science
Which research paradigm uses field notes?
Social Science
Which research paradigm uses surveys and experiments for research?
Critical
Which research paradigm wants to change behavior?
Social Science
Which research paradigm wants to describe and understand behavior?
critical approach
a metatheoretical approach that includes many assumptions of the interpretive approach but that focuses more on macrocontexts, such as the political and social structures that influence communication
Static-Dynamic Dialectic
anti-immigrant sentiment traditionally has been a cultural constant in the United States, although the groups and conditions of discrimination have changed. Thus, the antagonism against Irish and Italian immigrants that existed at the turn of the 20th century has largely disappeared but may linger in the minds of some people.
interdisciplinary
integrating knowledge from different disciplines in conducting research and constructing a theory
perception
the process by which people select, organize, and interpret information to form a meaningful picture of the world
social reproduction
the process of perpetuating cultural patterns
proxemics
the study of how people use personal space
face negotiation theory
the view that cultural groups vary in preferences for conflict styles and face-saving strategies
cross-cultural training
training people to become familiar with other cultural norms and to improve their interactions with people of different domestic and international cultures
worldview
underlying assumptions about the nature of reality and human behavior
