High-context cultures are more likely to be intuitive, contemplative, and concerned with the collective. Examples of a low context communication cultures include The United States, the UK, Switzerland, Canada and Germany. Explain the differences between high- and low-context cultures, giving examples of each. In a low-context culture, communication occurs through explicitly spelled out and defined words, and listeners just have to interpret spoken or written words as they are. Many low context cultures are individualist so people openly express their views, and tend to make important information obvious to others. Answer (1 of 2): Examples of high context countries include: Japan, China, and the Arab countries. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you [22], The concept of elaborated and restricted codes was introduced by sociologist Basil Bernstein in his book Class, Codes and Control. For high-context cultures, language is a kind of social lubricant, easing and harmonizing relations that are defined according to a group or collectivist orientation where we rather than I is the key to identity. Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices. Negotiators basically say what they mean. A high-context culture is a culture or society that communicates dominantly through the use of contextual elements, such as specific forms of body language, the status of an individual, and the tone of voice employed during speech. These include specific forms of body language, the social or familial status of an individual, and the tone of voice employed during speech. In these cultures, people may rely on body language, tone of voice, and facial expressions to convey meaning, and may not always say exactly what they mean directly. Meyer defines low-context cultures as cultures where people communicate and receive messages at face value. Focusing on tradition creates opportunities for higher-context messages between individuals of each new generation, and the high-context culture feeds back to the stability hence allows the tradition to be maintained. High-context cultures promote the development of ingroups. Studentsshould always cross-check any information on this site with their course teacher. Intercultural Communication in the Workplace, 18. Settings and cultures where people come together from a wider diversity of backgrounds such as international airports, large cities, or multi-national firms, tend to use lower-context communication forms. In this article, we will give you examples of high and low context mediation. According to Hall's theory, Chinese and Korean samples represented higher-context cultures while the American sample represents lower context. The High Context / Low Context cultural dimension is a broad and far reaching theory which touches on many aspects of cultural communication including verbal and non-verbal messaging, internal and external locus of control, inward and outward reaction, cohesion of groups, people's bonds and commitments, as well . In the 1970's, anthropologist Edward T. Hall coined the phrases "high-context culture" and "low- context culture.". Contexts in source publication. "[17] On the other hand, he identified countries such as Germany, the United States and Scandinavia as low-context cultures. Discover high context culture examples, and identify the importance of high context vs. low context communication. Examples of high-context cultures include Asian, African, Latin American, and some European countries. This concept was introduced by Edward T. Hall, an anthropologist back in 1976. Three samples were gathered from the US, China, and Korea, three different cultures. In low-context cultures, communication tends to be more direct and to the point. If you want to appear polite, you need to be willing to greet strangers and thank . For example, in one country a cow is seen as leather, in another one - as a deity and in another one as dinner. [35], The concepts of collectivism and individualism have been applied to high- and low-context cultures by Dutch psychologist Geert Hofstede in his Cultural Dimensions Theory. The composite score also indicates a significant difference among the three samples at the .01 level. A few predominantly high-context cultures include Japan, China, Brazil, Argentina, and South Africa. A high-context culture is a culture or society that communicates dominantly through the use of contextual elements, such as specific forms of body language, the status of an individual, and. Class, Codes and Control. Low-context and high-context cultures are the ends of a continuum portraying how cultures communicate. Learn more about our academic and editorial standards. Anchor Press/Doubleday. The Self in a Social Context: Help and Review, Figure-Ground Perception: Definition & Examples, Psychological Research & Experimental Design, All Teacher Certification Test Prep Courses, High Context vs. Low Context Characteristics, Introduction to Social Psychology: Help and Review, Research Methods and Ethics: Help and Review, Social Cognition & Perception: Help and Review, The Self: Executive and Organizational Functions & Gender and Cultural Differences, Introspection and Self-Awareness Theory in Psychology: Definition & Examples, Self-Perception Theory: Definition and Examples, Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation in Education: Definition & Examples, Two-Factor Theory of Emotions: Definition and Relation to the Misattribution of Arousal, Social-Comparison Theory: Upward vs. - Dosage & Side Effects, Anxiolytic: Definition, Medications & Dependence, What is Citalopram? Members of ingroups usually share many characteristics and experiences. (The pedestrians example) Guffey, M.E., Lowey, D., Rhodes, K., & Rogin, P. (2013). The Encyclopedia of Diversity and Social Justice states that, "high context defines cultures that are relational and collectivist, and which most highlight interpersonal relationships. Instead, they depend on the explicit code of the words and written rules to convey meaning. They are not simply complementary but are often used as the primary means of conveying a message and require the members to have greater cultural understanding. Meanwhile, in low-context cultures, more explicit speech is needed in order to allow the listener to fully understand the message. The use of an elaborated code indicates that speaker and listener do not share significant amounts of common knowledge, and hence they may need to "spell out" their ideas more fully: elaborated codes tend to be more context-independent. In high-context cultures, language may be used to assist and maintain relationship-building and to focus on process. In contrast, the use of restricted codes indicates that speakers and listeners do share a great deal of common background and perspectives, and hence much more can be taken for granted, and thus expressed implicitly or through nuance: restricted codes tend to be more context-dependent. Context is less important than words. For example Japan, which has a very high context culture, uses both polychronic and monochronic time. Initially, high culture rejects these outsiders but eventually embraces them or appropriates . For example, it could be argued that the Canadian French language is higher context than Canadian English, but lower context than Spanish or French French. [25] There were 225 Mexican participants from three different undergraduate universities in Mexico City and 447 participants from Kent State University in the U.S.[25] The case study looked into culture shock experienced by Mexicans studying in the U.S. A low-context culture is a culture in which people communicate explicitly. A high-context culture is one in which communication may be more unspoken rather than explicit - for example, much attention is paid to body language, facial expressions, and other non-verbal cues in order to discern a speaker's meaning. [32] Awareness of miscommunication between high- and low-context cultures within the workplace or intercultural communication settings advocates for collected unification within a group through the flexibility and ability to understand one another. By comparison, low-context cultures refer to cultures whereby most communications take place through verbal language and rules are directly written out or stated for all to view. This also means that low-context communication may fail due to the overload of information, which makes culture lose its screening[definition needed] function. Most notably, members of either culture must recognize and make an effort to understand the values and characteristics of other cultures so that miscommunications may be avoided. Characteristics of Low Context People behave according to rules Preference is given to knowledge sharing and transfer Relationships do not last longer On purpose relationships High context cultures tend to build relationships slowly, and they are generally stable for a long time and are based on trust and loyalty. Bernstein, B. Cultures where the group is valued over the individual promote. Hall identifies high-context cultures as those in which harmony and the well-being of the group is preferred over individual achievement. High Context Culture And Its Importance Some common characteristics of high-context cultures include: Though the United States has a low-context culture, we have all been placed in situations that are considered high-context. The continuum pictures how people communicate with others through their range of communication abilities: utilizing gestures, relations, body language . I feel like its a lifeline. Create your account. lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. From each culture, 96 business managers were surveyed for the American and Chinese sample and 50 managers were surveyed from Korea. Culture and Interpersonal Communication. In low-context countries, things need to be spelled out a bit more. Communication Differences in Low-Context vs. High-Context Cultures, Comparing Communication Styles in Low- and High-Context Cultures, Additional Resources for Determining Cultural Contexts, Ethnocentrism and Cross-Cultural Competence, Additional Resources for Understanding Trompenaars Dimensions, Three Prototypes: Dignity, Face, and Honor Cultures, Ethnocentrism, Culture Shock, and Cultural Relativism. In. The answer is simple. The designation "high and low context culture" broadly refers to the way people communicate in cultures. [24] The table shows the major differences and similarities between individual queries. ", "Communication: intercultural communication. Amount of Detail Expected - High-context cultures such as Japan, China, and France provide little details in their writing. Yolanda has taught college Psychology and Ethics, and has a doctorate of philosophy in counselor education and supervision. For example, while the United States is a low-context culture, family gatherings (which are common in American culture) tend to be high-context. A number of unique characteristics exist to make a clear distinction between high-context vs. low-context cultures and methods of communication. [10] In low-context cultures, relationships are not viewed as important figures to identity. For example, a low-context communicator can say, "I am unhappy with this outcome and . What is culture? Low-context culture refers to a culture that communicates explicitly. [32] Since all sets of cultures differ, especially from a global standpoint where language also creates a barrier for communication, social interactions specific to a culture normally require a range of appropriate communication abilities that an opposing culture may not understand or know about. It describes the level of explicit information and the importance of context in a given culture, indicating the range of communicative abilities (verbal messages, gestures, etc.) [25] Pleasure, affection and inclusion were the highest motives for communication in both cultures, and control was the lowest for both cultures. The terms "high context culture" and "low context culture" are used to define how people in various cultures communicate messages to each other. Beyond Culture. Low-context communicators dont need to be provided with much background information, but they do expect messages to be professional, efficient, and linear in their logic. Writing Topic Sentences and Body Paragraphs, 38. The study identifies whether and how variables that characterize high- and low-context cultures are reflected on Web sites. People have many acquaintances they have fewer close friends. [33] This significance follows into many situations such as the workplace, which can be prone to diversified cultures and opportunities for collaboration and working together. For example, resemblance is a significant trait in cultures with a high level of context. Individualism may lead to communicating to all people in a group in the same way, rather than offering hierarchical respect to certain members. France. Order now. The continuum pictures how people communicate with others through their range of communication abilities: utilizing gestures, relations, body language, verbal messages, or non-verbal messages. Ironically, contexting is most frequently discussed in terms of directness, yet empirical studies nearly all fail to support this relationship. Identify your style Before implementing effective communication practices across cultures, identify your own style: Type of paper: Research Paper. Emphasis on verbal vs. non-verbal communications, the existence of close personal space, emphasis on collectivism and ingroup learning and achievements, and the importance of interpersonal relationships are but a few of the most significant distinguishing factors. [37] Because individualistic cultures may value cultural diversity, a more explicit way of communicating is often required to avoid misunderstanding. According to Hall, the high-context culture definition relates to a culture by which the rules of communication are primarily and dominantly transmitted through the use of contextual elements. High- context cultures are often collectivist in nature and largely defined by group communications, as well as the development or promotion of ingroups, or groups that individuals may become loyal to. In a 2008 meta-analysis of 224 articles published between 1990 and 2006, Peter W. Cardon wrote: [T]he theory was never described by Hall with any empirical rigor, and no known research involving any instrument or measure of contexting validates it. Topic: Culture, Context, Communication, Middle East, Business, Conflict, People, Relationships. Hofstede, G. (1984). [19] This has been expanded to further countries by Sheposh & Shaista. Meaning is determined not by what is said but by how it is said and by how social implications such as the communicators status and position come into play. Communication cultures differ societally between high-context and low-context cultures, a concept first described by anthropologist Edward T. Hall in his 1976 publication Beyond Culture. Teachers can illustrate the differences between high- and low- context cultures by providing examples of behaviors. In his work, "Beyond Culture", Hall described these two different types of cultural relationships as they applied to information. Low-context cultures are less stable than high-context cultures as they are not founded upon any shared background. In this context, we will discuss those topics also. An error occurred trying to load this video. For example, the head wobble (tilting the head from side to side) in India is a gesture that can convey a variety of meanings depending on the situation. The tools are used to establish context by adding additional information as personal and social cues are not as presentable as they are in face-to-face negotiations. [2] Collectivist societies prioritize the group over the individual, and vice versa for individualist ones. [18] A trade language will typically need to explicitly explain more of the context than a dialect which can assume a high level of shared context. High context cultures include Japanese, Arabs and French. Unlike low-context cultures, high-context cultures prioritize the group over the individual (Hofstede, 1984). What is a high-context culture and how does this communication culture differ from a low-context culture? Examples of high-context cultures include China, India, and many non-Western societies. A first step in achieving this goal is to identify one's own culture before delving into the rigors of another. https://helpfulprofessor.com/low-context-culture-examples/. All rights reserved. An understanding of external cultures also leads to a better acceptance of diversity, a reduction in confusion and anxiety from misinterpreted communications, and a more effective means of intercultural collaboration. London: Routledge. A few relevant examples of differences in communication between low- and high-context cultures are found in Table 1. Power Distance Index & Examples | What is Power Distance? The GLOBE Project Overview & Behavior Styles | What is the GLOBE Project? Meanwhile, in a high-context culture, nonverbal cues and unspoken background . People from low-context cultures value logic, facts, and directness. Wurtz studied McDonalds online advertising in various countries such as Japan, Germany, the United States, etc. Low-context cultures tend to focus more on the individual than the group, which is why they value individualism and autonomy. Croucher, S., Bruno, A, McGrath, P, Adams, C, McGahan, C, Suits, A & Huckins, A. Hall is also credited for developing the idea of chronemics, or the study of the use of time during nonverbal communications. 1. But we can also use them to talk about smaller groups, such as corporate cultures or a specific setting like the airport. Mostly, western cultures are low context cultures like the UK, Australia, and the United States. Within high-context cultures, people rely on their networks of friends and family, viewing their relationships as part of one large community. Watch this video from international business expert Erin Meyer [1].
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