Investigates how cultural groups differ in the relative importance they attach to conversational constraints. Suggests that the perceived importance of clarity is higher in the more individualistic cultures but that the perceived importance of avoiding hurting the hearer's feelings and of minimizing imposition is higher in the more collectivistic…

Surveys the historical development and current status of public relations in western Europe, particularly in Austria and Germany. Illustrates the similarities, differences, and mutual influences of theoretical and practical public relations on both sides of the Atlantic. Considers cultural differences within Europe, and shows that current research…

Finds that East Asian students (enculturated in Confucianist norms emphasizing social relationships) had higher levels of sensitivity and empathy than North American students (enculturated in individualistic cultural norms), and that empathy toward friends was significantly higher than empathy toward generalized others for both groups of students.…

A study measured student agreement or disagreement with statements related to G. Hofstede's dimensions of culture and compares those responses with various cultural characteristics of the respondents. A 40-item Likert-type questionnaire was administered to 535 university students (301 females, 234 males) enrolled in business and communication…

A total of 2,286 college students in seven countries completed the Communication Style Measure (CSM) in an investigation of the communication styles of groups. The students were enrolled in universities in Australia, China, Japan, Korea, Micronesia, Hawaii, and the Philippines. The CSM is designed to measure subjects' perceptions of themselves as…

A study investigated the conceptual and functional meanings of the concept of conflict from the perspectives of United States culture (a low-context culture) and Chinese culture (a high-context culture). Subjects, 50 American and 48 Chinese graduate students in a midsize northeastern university, were interviewed using a semi-structured format to…

A study was conducted to determine if the Japanese use logic and argument in different ways than do Westerners. The study analyzed sample rebuttal speeches (in English) of 14 Japanese debaters using the Toulmin model of argument. In addition, it made comparisons with a sample of speeches made by 5 American high school debaters. Audiotapes of the…

This study was conducted to compare the social style of Japanese and Americans. Participants included 241 Japanese students from Otsuma Women's University and Nihon University (Tokyo, Japan) and 252 American students from West Virginia University (United States). Each completed the Richmond-McCroskey Assertiveness-Responsiveness Measure (which…

Presents an inductive, holistic method of analysis of face-to-face communication based on simulated business negotiations between Japanese and American businesspeople. (JC)

Investigates how ethnic identity is related to the issues that emerge in interethnic conversations. Examines issues related to communication satisfaction for African Americans and for European Americans and how relational closeness affects these relationships. Compares the two groups. (SR)

To examine how different cultures define and express love, a study focused on the discourse concerning love as advanced by four students from India, Iran, Japan, and Norway. The discourse was recorded on two different occasions: an extended interview about students' perceptions of love both in their countries and in the United States; and a panel…

A study investigated the effects of mass media, interpersonal communication, and sociolinguistic background on adults' political, cultural, and economic attitudes and agendas. Data for the study came from two earlier research efforts: one conducted in Minnesota, involved 414 adults who were interviewed concerning their media use, interpersonal…

Both the literal message and the vocal and nonverbal ways in which a message is presented combine to make up an individual's particular style of communication. Because research on communicator style has centered only on the communication characteristics of individuals, a study was conducted to examine the communication characteristics of two…

A study examined the means of and correlations between perceptions of willingness to communicate, communication competence, communication apprehension, and introversion of college students in the United States and Micronesia. Subjects were 159 undergraduate students enrolled in 19 classes at the Community College of Micronesia on the island of…

Focusing upon the interactive work-group communication patterns of employees classified as "managers," this paper compares such communication observed in Japanese and United States business and industrial organizations. The paper first describes several models of decision making within American and Japanese organizations, highlighting…