Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T01:27:46.184Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

13 - Multicultural Experiences and Intercultural Communication

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2012

By
Angela K.-Y. Leung  and
Chi-Yue Chiu
Edited by
Angela K.-y. Leung ,
Chi-yue Chiu  and
Ying-yi Hong
Angela K.-y. Leung
Affiliation:
Singapore Management University
Chi-yue Chiu
Affiliation:
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Ying-yi Hong
Affiliation:
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Get access

Summary

As mentioned in Part II of this volume, culture consists of shared knowledge in the forms of societal norms, lay beliefs, values, practices, and routines. Through participating in culture and engaging in communication with other cultural members, people grasp the shared reality in their culture and use it as behavioral guides both when they communicate with people in their culture and when they interact with people from a different culture. Not surprisingly, the role of communication in cultural processes has been extensively discussed in the research literature. In contrast, how cultural processes affect communication has been relatively unexplored, although there is ample research on cultural differences in communication processes.

The goal of this chapter is to fill this gap by focusing on how multicultural experiences may impact intercultural communication. Drawing on the cultural competence model proposed by Chiu and Hong (2006), we contend that effective intercultural communication requires nuanced understanding of cultural differences and discriminative application of cultural knowledge to guide interactions in different cultural contexts. We further contend that multicultural experiences confer opportunities for intercultural learning. Thus, individuals with rich, multicultural experiences are expected to possess nuanced knowledge of cultural differences and be able to use such knowledge discriminatively to guide interactions in changing cultural contexts. In this chapter, we will discuss these contentions and review the pertinent supporting evidence. Finally, we will discuss how cultural identification and need for cognitive closure may moderate the effects of multicultural experiences on intercultural learning and discriminative application of cultural knowledge. To provide the context for these discussions, in the next section, we will briefly review the role of communication and intercultural communication in cultural processes.

Type
Chapter
Information
Cultural Processes
A Social Psychological Perspective
 , pp. 242 - 262
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Arasaratnam, L. A.Doerfel, M. L. 2005 Intercultural communication competence: Identifying key components from multicultural perspectivesInternational Journal of Intercultural Relations 29 137CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brew, F. P.Cairns, D. R. 2004 Do culture or situational constraints determine choice of direct or indirect styles in intercultural workplace conflicts?International Journal of Intercultural Relations 28 331CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brewer, M. B.Hong, Y.Li, Q. 2004 Dynamic entitativity: Perceiving groups as actorsYzerbyt, V.Judd, C. M.Corneille, O.The psychology of group perception: Perceived variability, entitativity, and essentialism25New YorkPsychology PressGoogle Scholar
Brown, P.Levinson, S. 1987 Politeness: Some universals in language usageCambridgeCambridge University PressCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chan, D. K.-S.Goto, S. G. 2003 Conflict resolutions in the culturally diverse workplace: Some data from Hong Kong employeesApplied Psychology: An International Review 52 441CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chao, M. M.Zhang, Chiu, Z.-X.C.-y, 2010 Adherence to perceived norms across cultural boundaries: The role of need for cognitive closure and ingroup identificationGroup Processes and Intergroup Relations 13 69CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, L.Isa, M. 2003 Intercultural communication and cultural learning: The experience of Japanese visiting students in the U.SHoward Journal of Communications 14 75CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cheng, C.Chiu, C.Hong, Y.Cheung, J. S. 2001 Discriminative facility and its role in the perceived quality of interactional experiencesJournal of Personality 69 765CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chiu, C.-yCheng, S. Y-y 2007 Toward a social psychology of culture and globalization: Some social cognitive consequences of activating two cultures simultaneouslySocial and Personality Psychology Compass 1 84CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chiu, C.-yHong, Y. 2006 Social psychology of cultureNew YorkPsychology PressGoogle Scholar
Chiu, C.-yLeung, A. K.-yKwan, L. 2007 Language, cognition, and culture: Beyond the Whorfian hypothesisKitayama, S.Cohen, D.Handbook of cultural psychology668New YorkGuilfordGoogle Scholar
Chiu, C.-yMorris, M.Hong, Y.Menon, T. 2000 Motivated cultural cognition: The impact of implicit cultural theories on dispositional attribution varies as a function of need for closureJournal of Personality and Social Psychology 78 247CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cody, M. J.McLaughlin, M. L. 1985 The situation as a construct in interpersonal communication researchKnapp, M. L.Miller, G. R.Handbook of interpersonal communication263Beverly Hills, CASageGoogle Scholar
Costa, R. T.McCrae, R. R. 1992 Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R) and NEO Five-factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) professional manualOdessa, FLPsychological Assessment ResourcesGoogle Scholar
D’Andrade, R. 1987 A folk model of the mindHolland, D.Quinn, N.Cultural models in language and thought112Cambridge, UKCambridge University PressCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fu, H-yChiu, C.-yMorris, M. W.Young, M. 2007 Spontaneous inferences from cultural cues: Varying responses of cultural insiders and outsidersJournal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 38 58CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fussell, S. R.Krauss, R. M. 1992 Coordination of knowledge in communication: Effects of speakers’ assumptions about others’ knowledgeJournal of Personality and Social Psychology 62 378CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Giles, H.Powesland, P. F. 1975 Speech style and social evaluationLondonAcademic PressGoogle Scholar
Higgins, E. T.Friedman, R. S.Harlow, R. E.Idson, L. C.Ayduk, O. N.Taylor, A. 2001 Achievement orientations from subjective histories of success: Promotion pride versus prevention prideEuropean Journal of Social Psychology 31 3CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hong, Y.-yWan, C.No, S.Chiu, C.-y 2007 Multicultural identitiesKitayama, S.Cohen, D.Handbook of cultural psychologyNew YorkGuilfordGoogle Scholar
Ip, G. W.-mChiu, C.-yWan, C. 2006 Birds of a feather and birds flocking together: Physical versus behavioral cues may lead to trait- versus goal-based group perceptionJournal of Personality and Social Psychology 90 368Google ScholarPubMed
Isaacs, E. A.Clark, H. H. 1987 References in conversations between experts and novicesJournal of Experimental Psychology: General 116 26CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jetten, J.Spears, R.Manstead, A. S. R. 1997 Distinctiveness threat and prototypicality: Combined effects on intergroup discrimination and collective self-esteemEuropean Journal of Social Psychology 27 6353.0.CO;2-#>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kashima, Y. 2000 Maintaining cultural stereotypes in the serial reproduction of narrativesPersonality and Social Psychology Bulletin 26 594CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kashima, Y. 2002 Culture and social cognition: Towards a social psychology of cultural dynamicsMatsumoto, D.Handbook of culture and psychology325New YorkOxford University PressGoogle Scholar
Kashima, Y.Woolcock, J.Kashima, E. 2000 Group impressions as dynamic configurations: The tensor product model of group impression formation and changePsychological Review 107 914CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Keysar, B.Barr, D. J.Balin, J. A.Brauner, J. S. 2000 Taking perspective in conversation: The role of mutual knowledge in comprehensionPsychological Sciences 11 32CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kim, Y. Y. 1986 Understanding the social context of intergroup communication: A personal network theoryGudykunst, W.Intergroup communication86LondonEdward ArnoldGoogle Scholar
Kim, Y. Y. 1997 Adapting to a new cultureSamovar, L. A.Porter, R. E.Intercultural communication: A reader404Belmont, CAWadsworthGoogle Scholar
Lalwani, A. K.Shrum, L. J.Chiu, C.-y 2009 Motivated response style: The role of cultural values, regulatory focus, and self-consciousness in socially desirable respondingJournal of Personality and Social Psychology 96 870CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Latané, B. 1996 Dynamic social impact: The creation of culture by communicationJournal of Communication 46 13CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Latané, B.Bourgeois, M. J. 1996 Experimental evidence for dynamic social impact: The emergence of subcultures in electronic groupsJournal of Communication 46 35CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lau, I. Y.-M.Chiu, C.-yHong, Y. 2001 I know what you know: Assumptions about others’ knowledge and their effects on message constructionSocial Cognition 19 587CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lee, H.-O.Rogan, R. G. 1991 A cross-cultural comparison of organizational conflict management behaviorsInternational Journal of Conflict Management 2 181CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leung, A. K.-yChiu, C.-y 2008 Interactive effects of multicultural experiences and openness to experience on creativityCreativity Research Journal 20 376CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leung, A. K.-yChiu, C.-yHong, Y. 2003 Bicultural individuals accommodate their interaction strategies to the projected distributions of promotion- and prevention-focused regulatory foci in interaction partner's cultural groupAustin, TXGoogle Scholar
Leung, A. K.-yMaddux, W. W.Galinsky, A. D.Chiu, C.-y 2008 Multicultural experience enhances creativity: The when and howAmerican Psychologist 63 169CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li, Q.Hong, Y. 2001 Intergroup perceptual accuracy predicts real-life intergroup interactionsGroup Processes and Intergroup Relations 4 341CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lyons, A.Kashima, Y. 2001 The reproduction of culture: Communication processes tend to maintain cultural stereotypesSocial Cognition 19 372CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lyons, A.Kashima, Y. 2003 How are stereotypes maintained through communication? The influence of stereotype sharednessPersonality and Social Psychology Bulletin 85 989CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McCrae, R. R.Costa, P. T. 1997 Conceptions and correlates of openness to experienceHogan, R.Johnson, JBriggs, SHandbook of personality psychology825San Diego, CAAcademic PressCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Putnam, L. L.Wilson, C. E. 1982 Communication strategies in organizational conflicts: Reliability and validity of a measurement scaleBurgoon, M.Communication yearbook629Beverly Hills, CASage PublicationsGoogle Scholar
Roccas, S.Schwartz, S. H. 1993 Effects of intergroup similarity on intergroup relationsEuropean Journal of Social Psychology 23 581CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sanchez-Burks, J. 2002 Protestant relational ideology and (in)attention to relational cues in work settingsJournal of Personality and Social Psychology 83 919CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sanchez-Burks, J.Lee, F.Choi, I.Nisbett, R.Zhao, S.Jasook, K. 2003 Conversing across cultures: East-West communication styles in work and non-work contextsJournal of Personality and Social Psychology 85 363CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sanchez-Burks, J.Nisbett, R.Ybarra, O. 2000 Cultural styles, relational schemas and prejudice against outgroupsJournal of Personality and Social Psychology 79 174CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sperber, D. 1996 Explaining culture: A naturalistic approachOxford, UKBlackwellGoogle Scholar
Sui, J.Zhu, Chiu, Y.C.-y, 2007 Bicultural mind, self-construal, and recognition memory: Cultural priming effects on self- and mother-reference effectJournal of Experimental Social Psychology 43 818CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tajfel, H. 1982 Social identity and intergroup relationsCambridge, UKCambridge University PressGoogle Scholar
Tajfel, H.Turner, J. C. 1986 The social identity theory of inter-group behaviorWorchel, S.Austin, L. W.Psychology of intergroup relationsChicagoNelson-HallGoogle Scholar
Ting-Toomey, S.Kurogi, A. 1998 Facework competence in intercultural conflict: An updated face-negotiation theoryInternational Journal of Intercultural Relations 22 187CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tong, Y.Hong, Y.Lee, S.Chiu, C. 1999 Language as a carrier of social identityInternational Journal of Intercultural Relations 23 281CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Triandis, H. C. 1994 Culture and social behaviorNew YorkMcGraw-HillGoogle Scholar
van Knippenberg, D.Ellemers, N. 2003 Social identity and group performance: Identification as the key to group-oriented effortsHaslam, S. A.van Knippenberg, D.Platow, M. J.Ellemers, N.Social identity at work: Developing theory for organizational practice29New York and Hove, UKPsychology PressGoogle Scholar
Wan, C.Chiu, C.-yTam, K.-pLee, S.-lLau, I. Y.-mPeng, S-q 2007 Perceived cultural importance and actual self-importance of values in cultural identificationJournal of Personality and Social Psychology 92 337CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weber, M. 1947 Max Weber: The theory of social and economic organizationNew YorkThe Free PressGoogle Scholar
Wiseman, R. L. 2002 Intercultural communication competenceGudykunst, W. B.Mody, B.International and intercultural communication207Thousand Oaks, CASageGoogle Scholar
Wish, M.Kaplan, S. J. 1977 Toward an implicit theory of communicationSociometry 40 234CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wong, R. Y.-M.Hong, 2005 Dynamic influences of culture on cooperation in the Prisoner's DilemmaPsychological Science 16 429Google ScholarPubMed
Yokota, K.Yuki, M. 2007
Zou, X.Tam, K. P.Morris, M. W.Lee, S.-lLau, I. Y.-mChiu, C.-y 2009 Culture as common sense: Perceived consensus versus personal beliefs as mechanisms of cultural influenceJournal of Personality and Social Psychology 97 579CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×