Neuliep, Intercultural Communication, 6e. © SAGE Publications, 2015.

CHAPTER 5

The Perceptual Context

Culture and Cognition

People from different cultures think about different things…

… but do higher mental processes, such as perception and remembering, differ across cultures?

The Geography of Thought

The ancient Greeks focused on:

• linear methods of understanding

• without much regard to context

Confucian-driven Chinese philosophies emphasized:

• Fluctuation• Holism• Interdependence• harmony

Peoples from the East and West think differently because of the influence of philosophies from the ancient Greeks and Chinese

Model of Human Information Processing

1•Input/sensation

2•Storage/memory

3•Recall/retrieval

Stage 1—Input/sensation Perception—the mental interpretation of external stimuli via sensation.

Perceptual filters: Physiological—the senses

Sociological—demographic information and group memberships

Psychological—attitudes, beliefs, and dispositions

4 Explanations for Cross-Cultural Differences

Conditions of the physical environment

Indirect environmental conditions

Genetic differences

• Carpentered-world hypothesis

Cultural differences in the interaction with the environment

Stage 2—Storage/memory

7 plus or minus 2

Lost to decay

Short-term

memory

Episodic—unique experiences

Semantic—conceptual information and knowledge

Long-term

memory

Stage 3—Recall/retrieval

Long-term memory may not be recalled due to:

Interference

Negative arousal (anxiety)

Age

Improper categorization

Cross-Cultural Differences in Sensation and Perception

Culture affects one’s ability to sense and perceive incoming

information

Once information has passed through the

perceptual filters, it is processed into memory

Once information has been stored, it is

relatively useless unless it can be retrieved

Categorization & Stereotyping

Categorization—grouping, sorting, or classifying objects,

events, or living things into identifiable groups

or compartments.

Stereotypes—membership in social

categories that are believed to be

associated with certain traits and behaviors.

Cross-Cultural Differences in Memory and Retrieval

Effects on information

retrieval

Culture

Age

Education

Literacy

Other factors

Socialization

Education

Mental Economy

To manage enormous

quantities of information,

we categorize.

• People in all cultures do this.

• Categorization involves classifying, sorting, or arranging information by similarities

Categorization

Categorization reduces uncertainty and increases accuracy of predictions about others

In intercultural communication we face high levels of uncertainty and unfamiliar stimuli

Stereotypes

Categories that :

• often carry a positive or negative evaluation• typically refer to membership in social categories• are part of a natural and universal information-processing strategy

The difficulty arises when stereotypes carry a negative valence and are used to over- generalize negative traits

Stereotyping is automatic whereas prejudice is a controlled process

Stereotypes: Cultivation Theory

Cultivation Theory

• long-term exposure to media, especially TV, “cultivates” in viewers a perception of social reality that is reflective of the content on screen

• The situations on TV become the social reality that viewers believe is correct, whether or not it is.

The Stereotype Content Model (SCM)individuals’ social

perceptions are based on the two judgments of

(a) warmth and(b) competence

Proposes that warmth and competence judgments elicit one of four unique emotional responses:• admiration, envy, contempt, or

pity

These judgments stem from larger social

structures, specifically competition and status

Root in competition for resources

Stereotype Outcomes

Out-group homogeneity

effect

Illusory correlation principle

Self-fulfilling prophecies

Stereotype threat

EthnocentrismThe tendency to put one’s in-group in a position of centrality and worth while creating and reinforcing

negative attitudes and behaviors toward out-groups.

Ethnocentric attributional bias

Ethnocentrism negatively influences intercultural communication.

Ethnocentrism Continuum

• Ethnocentrism is negatively and significantly correlated with perceptions of social attraction, competence, character, and hiring recommendations.

Relationship of Ethnocentrism and Racism

• Racism and ethnocentrism are not synonymous, but they are related • Unlikely to be racist and not ethnocentric. • Possible to be ethnocentric and not racist. • Ethnocentrism is considered innate. • Racism is considered learned.