1009IBA Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Selective Perception, Collectivism, Nonverbal Communication
4 May 2018
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Department
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L5. The Influence of Culture on Perception and
Behaviours
Main Questions and Lecture Outline
• How does culture influence perception?
• What are the implications for Intercultural Communication?
• How might we explain perception?
o Three stages of the perception process
• Define Hall's high-context and low-context cultures
• Identify Hofstede's five dimensions of culture
• Values
o Schwartz
o Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck
Beau Lotto: Optical Illusions Show How We See (YouTube)
• The reason we see what we do connects to who we are as individuals and how we fit into
society
• We have no direct connection to our physical world other than through our senses, which vary
from person to person
• The light that falls onto your eye is meaningless because it could mean literally anything
• There is no inherent meaning of information
o It's what we do with the information that matters
Nature of Human Perception
• We all have the same sensory ability, but perception alters what we see
• Perception is the response to sensory stimuli in order to create meaning, usually thought of as
a three-step process
1. Selection
2. Organisation
3. Interpretation
• Perception is a subjective process, so each step is influenced by culture, personal experiences
and values
o The meaning that we construct constitutes an internal frame of reference, which we
then use as a precedent for further situations
• Perception is at the very centre of how we communicate
o Shapes how we understand other peoples' communication
Selection
• We are exposed to too much stimuli to process, so we don't consciously see any object unless
we are paying direct focused attention to that object
• We decide consciously or subconsciously what is the most relevant to pay attention to
• Three steps of selective perception
1. Selective exposure
2. Selective attention
3. Selective retention
• Goss (1995) identified three common perceptual tendencies during the selection stage
1. Closure
2. Familiarity
3. Expectations
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Organisation
• Categorising perceptions based on coding from a cultural perspective
o We group persons, objects and events on the basis of their similarities
• Categorisation serves a number of functions
o E.g. Reducing uncertainty and delineating distinctions between in-groups and out-
groups
• Caution
o Categorisation can also lead us to overlook individual differences and over-generalise
about others
Interpretation
• In this stage, meaning is attached to the sensory data that has been filtered and received
o When interpreting stimuli, we try to apply elements of familiarity to it, drawing on
contexts and knowledge we already have in order to help us understand
o Ambiguous stimuli enable greater latitude possibility for people to interpret the same
stimuli differently
o One's interpretation has significant implications for intercultural interactions and can
lead to misunderstanding and misconceptions
• E.g. Eye contact is considered honest in some cultures, but disrespectful in others
Cultural Beliefs, Values and Perception
• Belief systems are significant to intercultural communication because they are at the core of
our thoughts and actions, and thus invariably influence the way in which we perceive the
world
o Beliefs are learned and subsequently subject to cultural bias
• An understanding of cultural values not only helps us to appreciate the behaviour of other
people and know how to treat them with respect, but also enables greater understanding of
our own behaviour
High and Low Context Communication (Edward Hall)
• "Culture hides more than it reveals, and strangely enough, what it hides, it hides most
effectively from its own participants." (Edward T. Hall)
• Variations in the degree of explicitness
• High context
o Meaning in the setting
o High level of mutual understanding
o Little information explicitly transmitted
• Non-verbal communication is particularly important
o More homogenous societies
• Low context
o Meaning in the words
o Much information explicitly transmitted verbally
o Heterogeneous, complex societies
Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions
'Low Power Distance' Societies
'High Power Distance' Societies
• Hierarchy means an inequality of roles established for
convenience
• Subordinates expect to be consulted
• Hierarchy means existential
inequality
• Accepted as inevitable
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• Ideal boss is resourceful and democratic
• Subordinates expect to be told
what to do
• Ideal boss is benevolent and
autocratic
• Extent to which unequal power in organisations and society is considered accepted or normal
• Amount of respect or deference between superiors and subordinates
'Individualist' Societies
'Collectivist' Societies
• Same value standards for all
• Other people seen as potential resources
• Task prevails over relationship
• Calculative model of employer-employee
relationship
• Value standards differ for in and out
groups
• Other people seen as members of their
group
• Relationship prevails over task
• Moral model of employer-employee
relationship
• Whether identity is defined by personal choices and achievements or by the character of the
collective groups to which one is more or less permanently attached
'Feminine' Societies
'Masculine' Societies
• Assertiveness ridiculed
• Understate yourself
• Stress on life quality
• Intuition
• Assertiveness appreciated
• Oversell yourself
• Stress on careers
• Decisiveness
• Masculinity: Emphasis on achievement, assertiveness, competition, material success and
performance
• Femininity: Emphasis on interpersonal harmony or relationships, modesty, caring for others,
service, quality of life and solidarity
'Weak Uncertainty Avoidance' Societies
'Strong Uncertainty Avoidance' Societies
• Dislike of rules
• Written or unwritten
• Less formalisation and standardisation
• Tolerance of deviant persons and ideas
• Emotional need for rules
• Written or unwritten
• More formalisation and standardisation
• Intolerance of deviant persons and ideas
• Extent to which people feel threatened by ambiguous situations and create beliefs and
institutions to avoid these
• The creation of stability to deal with life's uncertainties
Rankings of National Cultures Using Hofstede's Classification (1983)
Country
'Power
Distance'
'Uncertainty
Avoidance'
'Individualism'
'Masculinity'
Africa (East) Region
22
36
34
39
Africa (West) Region
10
34
40
30
Arab Region
7
27
26
23
Argentina
35
12
22
20
Australia
41
37
2
16
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Main questions and lecture outline: how does culture influence perception, what are the implications for intercultural communication, how might we explain perception, three stages of the perception process, define hall"s high-context and low-context cultures, values. Identify hofstede"s five dimensions of culture: schwartz, kluckhohn and strodtbeck. It"s what we do with the information that matters. Nature of human perception: we all have the same sensory ability, but perception alters what we see, perception is the response to sensory stimuli in order to create meaning, usually thought of as a three-step process, selection, organisation. Organisation: categorising perceptions based on coding from a cultural perspective, we group persons, objects and events on the basis of their similarities, categorisation serves a number of functions, e. g. Reducing uncertainty and delineating distinctions between in-groups and out- groups: caution, categorisation can also lead us to overlook individual differences and over-generalise about others. Eye contact is considered honest in some cultures, but disrespectful in others.
