high and low context cultures examples high and low context cultures examples

Due to this shared understanding, high-context cultures are slightly more informal. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. Their communication is less-task oriented, and their decision-making is driven by relationships, shared experiences, and emotions. Individualism and collectivism are related to low-context and high-context cultures, respectively. Downward, Self-Monitoring, Ingratiation, and Self-Handicapping: Definition & Examples, Impression Management: Festinger's Study of Cognitive Dissonance, Post-Decision Dissonance & Counterattitudinal Advocacy, Attributions and the Correspondence Bias in Psychology: Definition & Dispositions vs. Situational Behavior, Effort Justification: Aronson & Mills Study, Examples & Applications, Self-Serving Attributions: Definition, Bias & Examples, Self-Regulation Theory: Definition & Strategies, High-Context Culture: Definition & Examples, Overjustification Effect: Definition & Examples, Social Epidemiology: Definition & Methods, Self-Promotion in Psychology: Definition & Examples, Mark Snyder's Self-Monitoring System: Definition & Scale, Involuntary Emotional Expression Disorder: Symptoms & Treatment, Attitudes and Persuasion: Help and Review, Attraction & Close Relationships: Help and Review, Stereotypes, Prejudice, & Discrimination: Help and Review, Applied Social Psychology: Help and Review, UExcel Psychology of Adulthood & Aging: Study Guide & Test Prep, Psychology of Adulthood & Aging for Teachers: Professional Development, Abnormal Psychology for Teachers: Professional Development, Life Span Developmental Psychology for Teachers: Professional Development, Research Methods in Psychology for Teachers: Professional Development, Social Psychology for Teachers: Professional Development, Psychology for Teachers: Professional Development, Human Growth & Development Studies for Teachers: Professional Development, What is Suicidal Ideation? Type of paper: Research Paper. Examples of low- and high-context cultures are those based in the following culture clusters: High-context cultures The Sub-Saharan Africa Cluster The Middle East Cluster The Latin Europe Cluster The Eastern Europe Cluster The Latin America Cluster The Southern Asia Cluster The Confucian Asia Cluster Low-context cultures The Anglo Cluster (2014, May 9). 18 Examples of Low Culture. What is low context cultural communication? The USA and Australia are typically low-context, highly individualistic cultures, where transparency and competition in business are prized. Generally, the situation, people, and non-verbal elements are more important than the actual words that are communicated in a high-context culture. Moreover, their communication is often task-oriented and driven by rational decision-making, which can further add to their formality.. Wurtz, Elizabeth (2005). Since a high-context culture is based on fewer, deeper relations with people, there are many unspoken social rules and understandings within the culture. Websites catering to high-context audiences had a lot of animation & images. In anthropology, high-context culture and low-context culture are ends of a continuum of how explicit the messages exchanged in a culture are and how important the context is in communication. 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. The situation, people, and non-verbal elements are more important than the actual words that are communicated. However, this type of segregation is not rigid, but takes the form of a gradient since the contextual base of a culture is not a quantifiable but relative concept. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Not only is the page itself busier . In high-context cultures (such as those in Japan, China, and Arab countries), the listener is already contexted and does not need to be given much background information[3]. This study is a result of a cross-cultural examination between students from the United States, a low-context culture, and Mexico, a high-context culture, to study the reasons people communicate in each culture. [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. The following are illustrative examples. But we can also use them to talk about smaller groups, such as corporate cultures or a specific setting like the airport. Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices. The continuum pictures how people communicate with others through their range of communication abilities: utilizing gestures, relations, body language . Low-context cultures are less stable than high-context cultures as they are not founded upon any shared background. Because low-context communication concerns more direct messages, the meaning of these messages is more dependent on the words being spoken rather than on the interpretation of more subtle or unspoken cues. In contrast, a high-context language like Japanese or Chinese can use a high number of homophones but still be understood by a listener who knows the context. In contrast, high-context cultures use facial expressions, body language, and gestures in a nuanced manner. A number of unique characteristics exist to make a clear distinction between high-context vs. low-context cultures and methods of communication. However, no country is low-context or high-context in absolute terms; instead, there is a mix of explicit & implicit communication everywhere. Interaction. In his work, "Beyond Culture", Hall described these two different types of cultural relationships as they applied to information. We cite peer reviewed academic articles wherever possible and reference our sources at the end of our articles. [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. So the poor cow's life depends on the country, where it was born: whether it is going to be worshipped or to end up on someone's . Monochronic vs. Polychronic Communication Styles | What Are Chronemics? "[27] This implies that communication is quite direct and detailed because members of the culture are not expected to have knowledge of each other's histories, past experience or background. Examples of high-context cultures include Asian, African, Latin American, and some European countries. They have a Bachelor's in Air Traffic Management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and minored in Aviation Safety and Homeland Security. After you have finished with this lesson, you should be able to: To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. High context communication cultures . [15] In contrast, scientists working with living systems need to include more context because there can be significant variables which impact the research outcomes. Rules are not directly or explicitly written or stated. Germany, Sweden, and the United States are generally classified as low-context cultures. High-context defines cultures that are usually relational and collectivist, and which most highlight interpersonal relationships. With this regard, America culture is a low-context . 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. 3. A simplified example mentioned by Hall is that scientists working in "hard science" fields (like chemistry and physics) tend to have lower-context cultures: because their knowledge and models have fewer variables, they will typically include less context for each event they describe. Japan is generally considered a high-context culture, meaning people communicate based on inherent understanding. Verbal message is direct; one spells things out exactly. Create your account, 10 chapters | Listen to business speaker Erin Meyer explain how cultural differences can affect communication. Order now. She found out that in high-context countries, the advertising campaigns used more colors, movements, and sounds to provide context. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. - Effects & Types, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs): Definition, effects & Types, Trepanning: Tools, Specialties & Definition, What is Pseudoephedrine? About The Helpful Professor Family gatherings, religious congregations, and other social outings with a close-knit group of people are forms of high-context communications that take place regularly in most cultures. Information is transmitted not through words alone but also through non-verbal cues such as gestures, voice inflection, and facial expression, which can have different meanings in different cultures. [12] Typically a low-context culture will be less close-knit, and so individuals communicating will have fewer relational cues when interpreting messages. For an outsider, it is easier to enter into low-context cultures because one does not need to be aware of the shared history/values of the group. Relationships are easy to build, can start very quickly but end just as soon. What are the effects on the communication process? Intercultural Business Communication by Confederation College is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. As such, what is said is what is meant, and further analysis of the message is usually unnecessary. Hofstede, G. (1984). The differences between high-context and low-context cultures is one of the most challenging things to navigate and one of the most important and distinct differences that exists across cultures. [7][8] Denotation tends to be attributed to low-context culture[9] People in low-context cultures communicate in a more direct way, with explicitly speaking what they want to communicate. Watch this video from international business expert Erin Meyer [1]. 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. Low context is a communication environment that doesn't heavily rely on common understanding such as shared culture, experiences and norms.This can be contrasted with high context communication that relies on common background or understanding. High-context cultures rely heavily on non-verbal cues, such as facial expressions, body language, tone of voice, etc. [6] Low context cultures emphasize individuality and tasks. [25] Pleasure, affection and inclusion were the highest motives for communication in both cultures, and control was the lowest for both cultures. High context cultures include Japanese, Arabs and French. High-context cultures usually do not have rules that are explicitly written or stated. In this article, we will give you examples of high and low context mediation. They rely less on the shared values/assumptions of the group and the context of the situation. Because directness may be thought of as disrespectful, discussions in high-context cultures can be circuitous, circling key issues rather than addressing them head-on. Communicating with high-context cultures can require you to focus on politeness strategies that demonstrate your respect for readers and listeners. High-context cultures are collectivist, value interpersonal relationships, and have members that form stable, close relationships. The theory of High and Low Context Cultures puts how people communicate in a dimension. Moving from high-context communication to low-context communication or vice versa is challenging for students. Messages can be contextualized by assuming that the audience would think in the same manner and will follow the underlying meaning implied in someone's speech or writing as a result of these common experiences. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Nonetheless, the contexting model simply cannot be described as an empirically validated model. The reverse holds true for High (Collectivistic) Context Cultures. Give some examples of cultural differences in the interpretation of body language. The American legal system, for example, relies on low context communication. [2] High-context cultures often exhibit less-direct verbal and nonverbal communication, utilizing small communication gestures and reading more meaning into these less-direct messages. In low-context countries, things need to be spelled out a bit more. Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons. In this context, we will discuss those topics also. [2] Collectivist societies prioritize the group over the individual, and vice versa for individualist ones. High-context communication tends to be more indirect and more formal. [20][21], Cultural context can also shift and evolve. Cultural communications are highly important to understand for a number of reasons and the concept of high-context vs. low-context culture was first elaborated by anthropologist Edward T. Hall in 1976. Wurtz studied McDonalds online advertising in various countries such as Japan, Germany, the United States, etc. In a low-context culture, the onus for communication lies with the speaker. In other words, high-context communicators attach great importance to everything that surrounds the explicit message, including interpersonal relationships, non-verbal cues, and physical and social settings. They are considered less direct, and they put a lot of weight on gestures and body language to draw significance from messages.