1. The Perceptual Context
CHAPTER 5
The Perceptual Context

3. Culture and Cognition
People from different cultures think about different things…
… but do higher mental processes, such as perception and remembering, differ across cultures?

4. The Geography of Thought
The ancient Greeks focused on:
Confucian-driven Chinese philosophies emphasized:
linear methods of understanding
without much regard to context
Fluctuation
Holism
Interdependence
harmony
Peoples from the East and West think differently because of the influence of philosophies from the ancient Greeks and Chinese

5. Model of Human Information Processing1
Input/sensation 2
Storage/memory 3
Recall/retrieval

7. 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

8. 4 Explanations for Cross-Cultural Differences
Conditions of the physical environment
Indirect environmental conditions
Genetic differences
Cultural differences in the interaction with the environment
Carpentered-world hypothesis

9. 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

10. Stage 3—Recall/retrieval
Long-term memory may not be recalled due to:
Interference
Negative arousal (anxiety)
Age
Improper categorization

11. 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

12. 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.

13. Cross-Cultural Differences in Memory and Retrieval
Effects on information retrieval
Culture
Age
Education
Literacy
Other factors
Socialization

14. To manage enormous quantities of information, we categorize.
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

15. Categorization
Categorization reduces uncertainty and increases accuracy of predictions about others
In intercultural communication we face high levels of uncertainty and unfamiliar stimuli

16. 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

17. Stereotypes: 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.

18. 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

19. Stereotype Outcomes Illusory correlation principle
Out-group homogeneity effect
Self-fulfilling prophecies
Stereotype threat

20. Ethnocentrism
The 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.

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

22. 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.