CHAPTER 4 THE INFLUENCE OF CULTURE ON PERCEPTION



CHAPTER 4: THE INFLUENCE OF CULTURE ON PERCEPTION

Questions for discussion

1. What factors by affect the information we filter? Why might the same situation be interpreted differently by different people?

2. How might a self-fulfilling prophecy manifest itself in intercultural interactions?

3. In what ways might non-Western cultures categorize and stereotype Western culture as a result of their portrayal of Muslims since 9/11?

4. How might applying the perceptual tendency of familiarity impair intercultural communication? What specific example can you think of to illustrate this?

5. How do you think we should avoid reinforcing negative stereotypes about specific groups or countries such as Eastern European countries?

6. Arabs are often grouped together as all being the same – one religion, one look, all following the same customs. Why do you think this is? How can we question and resist this conception? Do you think that a systematic campaign against discrimination and stereotyping might contribute to better understanding of the complex Arab cultures? Why?

7. Consider the case study presented in the chapter. What actions could be taken to try to reverse the stereotypical image that has been created? What would it take for actions such as these to be successful? What role would the media have to play in your solution?

8. As you may already know, cows are traditionally considered sacred in Indian culture but are accepted as a food source in Western cultures. How might a highly ethnocentric person from each culture view the habits of the other? For example, how might a highly ethnocentric Indian person view the Western habit of consuming beef? How this might this affect this their future intercultural interactions? Try to incorporate concepts from this chapter in your explanation.

Activities

1. Collect a series of newspaper clippings that you believe reinforce an existing stereotype and bring them to class for discussion. What stereotype do your clippings identify? Did any other members of the class identify the same stereotype as you? If so, what might that indicate about the pervasiveness of that particular image?

2. Have everyone in the class contribute a word describing a personality trait (e.g. quiet, outgoing, sensitive, rash), and write them where everyone can see them. Each student should then spend several minutes grouping these characteristics into clusters. Compare your response with the class. How much similarity was there in the clusters people created? Were there any significant differences? If so, how might they be explained? How does this relate to Implicit Personality Theory? Or to Attribution theory?

3. The news media is responsible for framing some militant action as the work of terrorists and other similar situations as the work of ‘freedom fighters’. In groups, discuss how freedom fighters would be perceived by the viewing public as opposed to terrorists? On what assumptions would the differences in perception be based? What characteristics of the people involved are privileged or marginalized in using each term? What other examples can class members think of in which language has been used in such a way by the media to influence perception?

4. Collect four different images that are commonly used in the media (e.g. four-leaf clover, witch’s hat, Scottish kilt, horseshoe, etc.). In small groups, discuss what each person thinks the image symbolizes or means. Do people have different interpretations? Why might this be?

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