Meta-Knowledge of Culture Promotes Cultural Competence

• Published in: Journal of cross-cultural psychology Vol. 44; no. 6; pp. 992 - 1006
• Main Authors: Leung, Angela K.-y., Lee, Sau-lai, Chiu, Chi-yue
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.08.2013; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Adaptation; Adjustment; American people; China; Communication; Cross-cultural analysis; Crosscultural communication; Cultural aspects; Cultural competence; Culture; Discrimination; Foreign culture; Hong Kong; Knowledge; Metacognition; Social cognition; Strategic planning; Students; social cognition; communication
• ISSN: 0022-0221; 1552-5422
• DOI: 10.1177/0022022113493137

A behavioral signature of cross-cultural competence is discriminative use of culturally appropriate behavioral strategies in different cultural contexts. Given the central role communication plays in cross-cultural adjustment and adaptation, the present investigation examines how meta-knowledge of culture—defined as knowledge of what members of a certain culture know—affects culturally competent cross-cultural communication. We reported two studies that examined display of discriminative, culturally sensitive use of cross-cultural communication strategies by bicultural Hong Kong Chinese (Study 1), Chinese students in the United States and European Americans (Study 2). Results showed that individuals formulating a communicative message for a member of a certain culture would discriminatively apply meta-knowledge of the culture. These results suggest that unsuccessful cross-cultural communications may arise not only from the lack of motivation to take the perspective of individuals in a foreign culture, but also from inaccurate meta-knowledge of the foreign culture.