149A Study Tool
Now that you have finished reading this chapter, you can:Define and explain culture and its impact on your
communication:
c Culture is a system of thought and behavior,
learned through communication, that reflects a
group’s shared beliefs, values, and practices (p. 122).
c Your worldview is the framework through
which you interpret people’s behavior (p. 122).
c Intercultural communication is the communica-
tion between people from different cultures who
have different worldviews (p. 124).Delineate seven ways that cultural variables affect
communication:
c Individuals in high-context cultures use contex-
tual cues to interpret meaning and send subtle
messages; in low-context cultures, verbal direct-
ness is much more important (pp. 126–128).
c In collectivist cultures, people perceive themselves
primarily as members of a group and communicate
from that perspective; in individualist cultures,
people value individuality and communicate
autonomy and privacy (p. 129).
c Our discomfort with the unknown (uncertainty
avoidance) varies with culture (p. 129).
c Masculine cultures tend to place value on asser-
tiveness, achievement, ambition, and competitive-
ness; feminine cultures tend to value nurturance,
relationships, and quality of life (p. 130).
c Power distance is the degree to which cultures
accept hierarchies among individuals (p. 130).
c Time orientation is the way that cultures com-
municate about and with time. In monochronic
cultures, time is a valuable resource that is not to
be wasted. Polychronic cultures have a more fluid
approach to time (pp. 131–132).
c Cultures differ in their expression of emotion.
Cultures that embrace hyperbole use vivid, color-
ful, exaggerated language, whereas cultures that
value understatement use language that downplays
emotional intensity (pp. 132, 134).Describe the communicative power of group
affiliations:
c Co-cultures are groups whose members share
some aspects of the general culture but also have
their own distinct characteristics (p. 134).c A generation is a group of people born into a spe-
cific time frame (pp. 134–135).
c Gender refers to the behavioral and cultural traits
associated with biological sex (p. 135).
c Social identity theory notes that your social iden-
tity is based on your group memberships. We com-
municate differently with people in our ingroups
versus outgroups (pp. 136–137).
c Studies in intergroup communication examine
how our group membership affects our interaction,
and our social identity shifts depending on which
group membership is most salient at a given
moment (pp. 137–138).Explain key barriers to competent intercultural com-
munication:
c Anxiety may cause you to worry about embarrassing
yourself in an intercultural interaction (pp. 140–141).
c Ethnocentrism is the belief in the superiority of
your own culture or group (p. 141).
c Discrimination is biased behavior toward someone
based on their membership in a group, class, or cat-
egory. People often discriminate based on stereotypes
and prejudiced views of other groups (pp. 141–142).Demonstrate behaviors that contribute to intercul-
tural competence:
c Be mindful of cultural differences and develop
intercultural sensitivity, an awareness of behav-
iors that might offend others (p. 143).
c Intergroup contact theory suggests that interac-
tion between members of different social groups
can encourage positive attitudes. However, inter-
group biases interfere with this process: behavioral
affirmation is seeing or hearing what you want
to see or hear in group members. Behavioral
confirmation is acting in a way that makes your
expectations about a group come true (p. 144).
c Research supports the importance of
accommo dation, adjusting your language and
nonverbal behaviors. Convergence is adapting your
communication to be more like another individual’s.
If you overaccommodate, however, the interaction
can be perceived negatively (pp. 145–146).
c It is important to practice your intercultural skills
(pp. 146–147).REAL REFERENCE
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