Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
acceptedVersion
Publication Date
8-2013
Abstract
A behavioral signature of cross-cultural competence is discriminative use of culturally appropriate behavioral strategies in different cultural contexts. Given the central role communication plays in cross-cultural adjustment and adaptation, the present investigation examines how meta-knowledge of culture—defined as knowledge of what members of a certain culture know—affects culturally competent cross-cultural communication. We reported two studies that examined display of discriminative, culturally sensitive use of cross-cultural communication strategies by bicultural Hong Kong Chinese (Study 1), Chinese students in the United States and European Americans (Study 2). Results showed that individuals formulating a communicative message for a member of a certain culture would discriminatively apply meta-knowledge of the culture. These results suggest that unsuccessful cross-cultural communications may arise not only from the lack of motivation to take the perspective of individuals in a foreign culture, but also from inaccurate meta-knowledge of the foreign culture.
Keywords
communication, social cognition
Discipline
Cognition and Perception | Multicultural Psychology | Personality and Social Contexts
Research Areas
Psychology
Publication
Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology
Volume
44
Issue
6
First Page
992
Last Page
1006
ISSN
0022-0221
Identifier
10.1177/0022022113493137
Publisher
SAGE
Citation
LEUNG, Angela K.-Y., LEE, Sau-Lai, & CHIU, Chi-Yue.(2013). Meta-knowledge of Culture Promotes Cultural Competence. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 44(6), 992-1006.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/1419
Copyright Owner and License
Authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022113493137
Included in
Cognition and Perception Commons, Multicultural Psychology Commons, Personality and Social Contexts Commons