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16 - Interpersonal accuracy in relation to culture and ethnicity

from Part II - Correlates of interpersonal accuracy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 April 2016

By
Hillary Anger Elfenbein  and
Elizabeth A. Luckman
Edited by
Judith A. Hall ,
Marianne Schmid Mast  and
Tessa V. West
Judith A. Hall
Affiliation:
Northeastern University, Boston
Marianne Schmid Mast
Affiliation:
Université de Lausanne, Switzerland
Tessa V. West
Affiliation:
New York University
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Summary

Abstract

Classic studies by Ekman and Izard provided early evidence for the cross-cultural universality of emotion recognition, through a set of studies that were later examined from the perspective of the cultural differences they also reveal. The body of evidence as a whole supports a middle ground, suggesting that both emotional expression and its perception show basic similarities across cultures and yet meaningful differences as well. We discuss both spontaneous and motivated processes in both emotional expression and recognition. Further, this chapter attempts to review this material in terms of Brunswik’s lens model, which emphasizes the creation of observable cues and their interpretation by others. We also discuss cultural differences that can arise at multiple stages of the emotion process beyond emotional expression and recognition. Namely, individuals across groups can respond differently to nonverbal cues of emotion, which involves differences in the subjective interpretation of events via cognitive appraisal, differences in internal experience, and differences in emotion regulation. These, in turn, can influence accuracy in judging emotion cues across cultures.

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Chapter
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The Social Psychology of Perceiving Others Accurately , pp. 328 - 349
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2016

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