High-context cultures also value group harmony above individual achievement. Culture and Interpersonal Communication. This means that the members' identity is heavily rooted in groups, i.e., families and work units. They have a Bachelor's in Air Traffic Management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and minored in Aviation Safety and Homeland Security. High vs. Low Power Distance Cultural Communications | What are High and Low Power Distance Cultural Communications? [30] Many singular cultures that are large have subcultures inside of them, making communication and defining them more complicated than the low-context and high-context culture scale. High context is where the groups of people or societies in which individuals have had close links in the course of a long period. Low-context cultures rely on explicit communication. High-context cu. With this regard, America culture is a low-context . These include specific forms of body language, the social or familial status of an individual, and the tone of voice employed during speech. Goodwill Messages and Recommendations. For example, for someone who is older and more experienced within a society, the need for social cues may be higher or lower depending on the communication style. Trust must be developed before business transactions can begin. Seekprofessional input on your specific circumstances. [41] One study on McDonald's online advertising compared Japan, China, Korea, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and the United States, and found that in high-context countries, the advertising used more colors, movements, and sounds to give context, while in low-context cultures the advertising focused more on verbal information and linear processes. Order now. High-context cultures are collectivist, value interpersonal relationships, and have members that form stable, close relationships. Eye contact, for example, which is encouraged in North America, may have ambiguous meaning or be considered disrespectful in certain high-context cultures. Mostly, western cultures are low context cultures like the UK, Australia, and the United States. Guffey, M. E., Lowey, D., Rhodes, K., & Rogin, P. (2013). They also are AT-CTI certified. Researchers today are using it greatly to study different cultures all over the world. There are strong distinctions made between individuals who are members of the ingroup and those who are not members in high-context cultures. The terms "high context culture" and "low context culture" are used to define how people in various cultures communicate messages to each other. In comparison, the United States is perhaps the best example of a diverse and low-context culture. Words: 825. 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. [3] Low-context cultures do the opposite; direct verbal communication is needed to properly understand a message being communicated and relies heavily on explicit verbal skills. Published: 2020/12/03. They rely less on context & non-verbal cues and instead convey meaning more directly. Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons. Also remember that although cultures are different from one another, no culture or cultural characteristic is better or worse than any other. The same applies for the other characteristics in varied countries. [37] Because individualistic cultures may value cultural diversity, a more explicit way of communicating is often required to avoid misunderstanding. Guffey et al. 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. On the other hand, certain intercultural communication skills are unique for each culture and it is significant to note that these overlaps in communication techniques are represented subgroups within social interactions or family settings. [26] The terms high- and low-context cultures are not classified with strict individual characteristics or boundaries. We know that the way in which we say things at these gatherings is more important than what we say. Unlike low-context cultures, high-context cultures prioritize the group over the individual (Hofstede, 1984). Moreover, their communication is often task-oriented and driven by rational decision-making, which can further add to their formality.. For example, if you have ever been to a family gathering, then you have experience with a high-context culture. London: Routledge. For example, in one country a cow is seen as leather, in another one - as a deity and in another one as dinner. In high-context cultures, people are said to prefer symbolic, artful language that is implicit. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. The cultural context. Body language, tone of voice, and personal status are a few notable characteristics that are valued in a high-context culture. The continuum pictures how people communicate with others through their range of communication abilities: utilizing gestures, relations, body language . ; it is the way we communicate, do business and see the world. Examples of low context cultures include: Scandinavia; Germany, and the US. Flowery language, humility, and elaborate apologies are typical. The Nine Competencies that Characterize an IEP, Diversity in the Workplace: Benefits and Obstacles, Intercultural Communication in the Workplace, Additional Resources to Help you Format your Paper in APA Style. Members of high-context cultures usually have close relationships that last for an extended period of time. Members of ingroups usually share many characteristics and experiences. Low-context culture refers to a culture that communicates explicitly. For example, families typically engage in high context communication whereby they can communicate much with subtleties such as a glace. 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. On one side of the dimension, we have high context cultures, which depend on greater context when communicating. The study identifies whether and how variables that characterize high- and low-context cultures are reflected on Web sites. The author states that Japan is a high context culture because they have every decision based on their culture and France is both a high and low mixture finally low context example is America. Hofstede, G. (1984). Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. An error occurred trying to load this video. [30][32], Families, subcultures and in-groups typically favour higher-context communication. 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. Intercultural communication. Most of the contexting categories simply have not been researched enough to make firm conclusions. Meyer defines low-context cultures as cultures where people communicate and receive messages at face value. After you have finished with this lesson, you should be able to: To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. 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. Contexts in source publication. Required fields are marked *, This Article was Last Expert Reviewed on January 24, 2023 by Chris Drew, PhD. Anchor Press/Doubleday. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. Whereas low-context cultures prefer more words (to a certain extent), high-context cultures prefer more images. Moving from high-context communication to low-context communication or vice versa is challenging for students. In the United States, Native Americans and Hawaiian islanders are also considered high-context. Initially, high culture rejects these outsiders but eventually embraces them or appropriates . The study tested 16 items, covering various aspects of the high-versus-low context concept, including social orientation, responsibility, confrontation, communication, commitment, and dealing with new situations. Because a low-context setting cannot rely on shared understanding of potentially ambiguous messages, low-context cultures tend to give more information, or to be precise in their language. For example, resemblance is a significant trait in cultures with a high level of context. What is a high-context culture and how does this communication culture differ from a low-context culture? He studied English literature at the University of Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University. High-context cultures promote the development of ingroups. 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. Carolyn Meyer (2017)[4]discusses the prototypes for communication in low-context and high-context cultures: Communicators in low-context cultures (such as those in Germany, Scandinavia, and North America) convey their meaning exclusive of the context of a situation. 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. Individualism may lead to communicating to all people in a group in the same way, rather than offering hierarchical respect to certain members. [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. 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 . ), Hall, E. T.; Hall, M. R. (1990). According to Hall's theory, Chinese and Korean samples represented higher-context cultures while the American sample represents lower context. This study, done by Kim Dunghoon, was to test the major aspects the high versus low-context culture concepts. A 2005 study by Elizabeth Wurtz demonstrates how cultural differences shape marketing and advertising. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. Low-context cultures are less stable than high-context cultures as they are not founded upon any shared background. Hofstede, G. (1984). [23] For example, Native Americans in the United States have higher-context cultures with a strong sense of tradition and history, compared to general American culture. High-context cultures, on the other hand, depend on both the spoken words and the context of the situationincluding the shared values/assumptions of the groupto convey meaning. She found out that in high-context countries, the advertising campaigns used more colors, movements, and sounds to provide context. - Effects & Types, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs): Definition, effects & Types, Trepanning: Tools, Specialties & Definition, What is Pseudoephedrine? An individual from Texas (a higher-context culture) may communicate with a few words or use of a prolonged silence characteristic of Texan English, where a New Yorker would be very explicit (as typical of New York City English), although both speak the same language (American English) and are part of a nation (the United States of America) which is lower-context relative to other nations. Verbal message is direct; one spells things out exactly. Type of paper: Research Paper. 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