COM 412 - Midterm
What makes the term "culture" different from related, but not interchangeable, terms such as "nation," "race," and "ethnic group"?
Culture is based on shared interpretations of meanings and experiences
global village
coined by Marshall McLuhan - describe the consequences of the media's ability to bring events from the far reaches of the globe into people's personal lives thus shrinking the world internet help make a global village
Rainbow Metaphor
colors represent the wide variety of cultures in the US LGBT community cultures coexist amicably without clash or conflict to form an attractive national pattern that is pleasing, likable and beautiful
display of respect
concern, interest, understanding , titles, absence of jargon, facial expressions, eye contact, tone of voice
Components of Intercultural competence
context skills appropriateness and effectiveness motivation knowledge
task role behavior
contribute to the groups problem solving activities, new ideas, seeking clarification
Globalization
creating a world wide marketplace - integration of capital, technology and info across national borders
At which stage of cultural identity formation is intercultural competence likely to be most developed?
cultural identity achievement
Melting pot metaphor
huge crucible not an accurate description ( tendency for diverse cultures to melt together --> single cultural entity has never really existed homogenized American culture
Tributaries metaphor
huge cultural watershed --> providing numerous paths in which the many tributary cultures can flow - tributaries maintain their unique identities as they surge toward common destination - tributaries may be less important than the main river
genetic origins
humans descended from common ancestors who lived in northeast africa
In high-context cultures, a message is usually _____ since all members assume the meaning of the message is shared. In low-context cultures, messages tend to be more ______ and less of the meaning is left to interpretation.
indirect; direct
biology
inherited characteristics that cultural members share
meaning
perception, thought or feeling that a person experiences and might want to communicate with others meaningful experiences= sensations from a room temp, thought about a teacher, etc
Ten Things Everyone Should Know About Race
1) Race is a modern idea 2) No genetic basis 3) Human subspecies don't exist 4) skin color really is only skin deep 5) Most variation is within, not between races 6) Slavery predates race 7) Race and freedom evolved together 8) Race justified social inequalities as natural 9) Race isn't biological but racism is still real 10) colorblindness will not end racism
Outcomes of communication process
1st outcome = understanding - participants have imposed similar or shared interpretations about what the messages actually mean 2nd outcome = agreement - each participant not only understand the others interpretations but also holds a view that is similar - not a requirement of communication
United States: 316 million people
63% European, 18% Latino, 13% African American, 5% Asian and 1% Native American - 2050 = population could be 400 million, less Europeans, more of everything else 1 in 5 speak a language other than English at home
In Native American cultures, respect for nature drives many cultural patterns. Which dimensions of valence and intensity does this value represent?
A positively valenced and intensely held value
When you think of different institutional networks like like Buddhist temples, Christian churches, Greenpeace, the Democratic and Republican parties, or your student government, what is often a shared aspect that can affect cultures?
An influential power that suggests acceptable or unacceptable behaviors
Basics of Intercultural competence
Behavioral Assessment Scale for Intercultural Competence (Koesler and Olebe)
Which characteristic of communication gives different meaning to the phrase "I'm tired" when said at the beginning of the day compared to when it is said at the end of the day
Communication is a dynamic process.
How is cultural identity dynamic?
Cultural identity is dynamic because new life experiences influence how you see yourself
How do cultural patterns affect communication in a fundamental way?
Cultural patterns are the basis for interpreting symbols used in communication.
Which definition of culture best reflects its important link to communication?
Culture is a learned set of shared interpretations that affect the behavior of a large group of people.
Cultural universals
George P Murdock and others cultural traits that are common to all cultures, past and present - language, bodily adornment, education, marriage, funerals, games, housing, hygiene
During a conversation with a Chinese business partner, which of the following statements would display an appropriate orientation to knowledge?
I have been to the Hong Kong airport several times and found it very confusing.
Chimamanda Ngozi Ted Talk - main point and how it relates to concepts from class
If we only hear about a people, place or situation from one point of view, we risk accepting one experience as the whole truth - face the danger of a single story single story creates stereotypes and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue but they are incomplete. One story becomes the only story. we must seek diverse perspectives
How would studying the patterns of your own culture help make intercultural communication more successful?
If you know what cultural patterns are present in your own interactions, you can mitigate those expectations and adapt when interacting with a different culture
Which type of communication would likely occur between two people who identify as being a part of European American culture?
Intracultural communication
Lisa was adopted from South Korea by an European American family when she was an infant. She grew up and went to school in Michigan and is now a junior at the University of Maine. Lisa has an opportunity to study abroad in South Korea, which she is excited about. Which of her interactions would be considered the most intercultural?
Lisa's interactions with her South Korean schoolmates
In your development of intercultural competence, which aspect of Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck's work is important to keep in mind to avoid making assumptions about an individual?
Not all members of a culture share the preferred solutions
Human Diversity - Go deeper
Not one gene, trait or characteristic that distinguishes all members of one race from all members of another map any number of traits and none would match our idea of face humans haven't been around long enough to evolve into different subspecies beneath the skin, we are one of the most genetically similar of all species
Perception in terms of how our brains work
Perception: function of how we select, organize and interpret info (foundation of all communication) multiple brain processes are involved: senses. previous knowledge and experiences we have two main sources of info 1) sensory info 2) symbolic info like words, pictures too much happening for us to absorb it all so we have selective perception - our brains at a subconscious level decide what is important to pay attention to - might have to train ourselves to perceive things differently
Edward T Halls analogy of culture as an iceberg
So much happening under the surface that we usually are not aware of. we see just the behavior (above surface) - we do not see the beliefs, values, and norms that underlie the behavior none of the visible parts can make sense without the deeper components
Why might the tapestry metaphor fail to fully capture the dynamic essence of the multicultural landscape in the United States?
Tapestries are static arrangements of component parts.
Consider the interpretative statement, "The news anchor doesn't appear to be prepared for the broadcast." Which of the following is a descriptive statement that supports it?
The anchor is visibly sweating and misreading lines.
How is peace affected by intercultural competence?
The lack of intercultural competence can lead to war, hate crimes, and discrimination
According to standpoint theory, which of the following explains why two classmates with the same cultural background could have difficulty communicating?
They might have been raised with very different lifestyles.
According to the definition in your text, what is the goal of effective communication?
To create a shared meaning
Skills
actual performance of behaviors that are regarded as appropriate and effective
Does the observation that the number of global Internet users has increased by 741% in the past 15 years affect the need for intercultural competence
Yes, people now have the ability to communicate with an unprecedented number of different cultures
What should you consider when interacting with someone from a different culture?
Your own culture and experiences will influence how you view the other person and how he or she views you.
metaphors
a comparison or summary image that condenses an idea into a few key words or phrases - imply both descriptions of what is and less obviously prescriptions of what should be melting pot, set of tributaries, rainbow, tapestry, garden salad
Intercultural communication
a symbolic, interpretive, transactional, contextual process in which people from different cultures create shared meanings People from Argentina and Nigeria are very different when they first come to study in the US - facility with English is initially weak and they are uncomfortable people are from different cultures whenever the degree of difference between them is sufficiently large and important that it creates dissimilar interpretations and expectations about what are regarded as competent communication behaviors cross cultural, international communication, intercultural, interethnic, interracial
empathy
ability of individuals to communicate awareness of another persons thoughts, feelings, experiences -behave as if one understands the world as others do
Views of communication process
actional interactional transactional
media
any technologies that extend the ability to communicate beyond the limits of face to face encounters - books, newspapers, magazines
Communication is interpretive
assigning significant to other's behaviors to create a meaningful account of their actions
Which dimension of Schwartz's Cultural Taxonomy is most similar to the individualism-collectivism continuum of Hofstede's Dimensions?
autonomy versus embeddedness
Juan does not consider himself to be racist and considers himself as a fairly accepting individual. When walking home from work, Juan takes a less-direct route because he does not want to interact with members of a local synagogue. Which form of racism is Juan displaying?
aversive racism
beliefs
basic understanding of a group of people about what the world is like or what is true or false
Which is an important step in increasing your intercultural competence?
become aware of your biases and reflect on how they may influence your perspective
Culture affects behavior
behaviors = what people say and do as they perform their culture with others culture establishes predictability in human interactions - not the only explanation for peoples conduct
appropriate
behaviors regarded as proper and suitable
effective
behaviors that lead to the achievement of desired outcomes (satisfaction)
knowledge
cognitive info one has about a specific culture culture general info: insights into intercultural communication process that are abstract and applicable to a variety of cultures culture specific info = unique and distinctive to a particular culture
Imperatives for intercultural competence
demographic- world is undergoing a rapid transformation into a multicultural society technological- able to readily communicate with people all over the globe on a daily basis global- increasingly interdependent on other cultures in the global marketplace peace- with cultures intermingling, the need to understand and appreciate one another is vital self awareness- who we are and what others presume about us we interact with them constitutes our standpoint in the interaction interpersonal- quality of daily life is increasingly dependent on your ability to communicate with those from other cultures
Categories of communication (BASIC)
display of respect orientation to knowledge empathy interaction management task role behavior relational role behavior tolerance for ambiguity interaction posture
Which activity orientation of a culture pattern is embodied by "The American Dream," which is defined as the ideal that every U.S. citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative?
doing
actional view
earliest views of communication linear, one way flow of ideas, and info and that the focus of this view was primarily on info transmission or what the sender should do to structure a message that would achieve a desired result no receivers of messages Not useful in intercultural communication because - focus is telling and selling, sender not interested in understanding others, being sensitive to cultural differences or developing better interpersonal relationships - receives are inferior to senders, those who create the messages should merely manipulate the receivers
interactional view
emphasizes interpretation feedback = receivers provide sender with ongoing responses focus is still primarily on the sender goal = influence and control receiver not very useful in intercultural communication - not culturally sensitive - not a model of true interaction - absent is that the participants co produce and co interpret messages
transactional view
emphasizes the construction of shared creation of messages and meanings goal = improve one's knowledge, to seek understanding , to develop agreements, negotiate shared meanings no titles of sender and receiver meaning of words conveyed by tone of voice, gestures, body movements
ecology
external environment in which the culture lives - climate, changing weather patterns, availability of certain foods
In which type of culture, according to the GLOBE Project, would it be more acceptable to display your diplomas on your office wall?
high performance oriented
Six forces that maintain cultural differences
history ecology technology biology institutional networks interpersonal communication patters
culture and history
history = unique experiences that have come part of a cultures collective wisdom
Maintaining a smooth conversational flow falls under the BASIC skill of
interaction management.
ethnicity
interchangeably with culture refers to a wide variety of groups who might share a language, historical origins, religion, nation-state, or cultural system
technology
inventions that a culture has created or borrowed - tools, microchips, paper clips, weapons
Which characteristic is most indicative of a high future orientation culture?
investing in a retirement plan
4 characteristics of interpersonal communication
involves a small number of people - couples, families, friends - perception that a social bond has formed involves people interacting exclusively with one another - clearly identified participants who are able to select those with whom they interact - use sensory channels adapted to specific others immediate interpretations - messages can occur essentially simultaneously with their creation
interpersonal communication
involves a small number of people who are interacting exclusively with one another and who therefore have the ability
Competent communication
is interaction that is perceived as effective in fulfilling certain rewarding objectives in a way that is also appropriate to the context in which the interaction occurs
culture
learned set of shared interpretations about beliefs, values, norms and social practices which affect the behaviors of a relatively large group of people not born with a genetic imprint of a particular culture learned from the people you interact with as you socialize
Garden Salad metaphor
made up of dinstict ingredients that are tossed continuously suggests an absence of firmness and stability - no fixed arrangement --> state of flux recommend this metaphor
race
more of a political, legal and social distinction critical point: more genetic variation within each "race" than there is between races certain physical similarities such as skin color or eye shape that are shared by a group of people and are used to mark or separate them from others
message
package of symbols used to create shared meanings
Motivations
people's overall set of emotional associations as they anticipate and actually communicate interculturally feelings = emotional or affective states that you experience when communicating, not thoughts but emotional and physiological reactions intentions = guide your choices in a particular interaction (goals, plans, objectives, desires)
Different aspects of context
physical = actual location of interactants= indoors, outdoors, crowded social = widely shared expectations, people have about the kinds of interactions that normally should occur given different kinds of social events - funerals vs parties interpersonal= expectations people have about the behaviors of others as a result of differences in the relationship between them - teachers and students vs close friends
Humans process information by
placing new info into categories, often unconsciously
nation
political term referring to a government and a set of formal and legal mechanics that regulate the political behavior of its people - foreign polices (not from a culture)
subculture
racial and ethnic minority groups that share both a common nation state with other cultures and some aspects of the larger culture - suggests subordination to the larger European American culture
Intercultural competence is contextual
relating to the setting or circumstances within which something occurs standpoint = unique set of perspectives, experiences, and identities that a person brings to an intercultural event standpoint theory: unique set of perspectives experiences and person's social location
symbols vary in degree of arbitrariness
relationships between symbols and their referents can vary in the extent to which they are fixed or arbitrary
norms
rules for appropriate behavior which provide the expectations people have of one another and of themselves
communication is a process
sequence of many distinct but interrelated steps - things are changing and evolving -change over time
context
setting or situation within which communication takes place - where people meet, nature of relationship, social purpose
interaction management
skilled at starting and ending interactions and taking turns while maintaining a discussion
emblems
symbol systems such as verbal languages and a special class of nonverbal symbols are completely unrelated to their referents except by common agreement among a group of people to refer to things in a particular way
communication
symbolic, interpretive , transactional, contextual process in which people create shared meanings
coculture
term to be avoided which refers to racial and ethnic minority groups that share a common nation state suggests there is a single overarching culture in the US
orientation of knowledge
terms people use to explain themselves and the world around them "I would not want my parents to arrange my marriage"
interpersonal communication patterns
the face-to-face verbal and nonverbal coding systems that cultures develop to convey meanings and intentions
institutional networks
the formal organizations in societies that structure activities for large numbers of people - government, education, religion
Tapestry metaphor
threads are woven together into an artistic design that may be pleasing to some but not to others each thread is akin to a person and groups of similar threads are analogous to a culture static and unchangeable cultural groups in US are more fluid than the tapestry - migrations and mortality patterns preferred to previous 3
Communication is transactional
view of communication that emphasizes the construction or creation of shared meanings and messages - communicators are simultaneously sending and receiving messages at every instant that they are involved in conversations
Lessons of Perception exercises
we see what we expect to see need to check perceptions noise can interfere organization can affect perceptions with a little work, you can see from a different perspective
values
what a group of people define as good and bad or what it regards as important
symbol
word, action, or object that stands for or represents a unit of meaning
The chapter discusses the belief in some cultures that spirits inhabit inanimate objects. Which orientation would describe this cultural pattern?
world orientation
