Mass Comm Bachelor of Communication Bachelor of Communication: Intercultural Competency 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which communication barrier occurs when a speaker assumes their audience shares the same cultural references and idioms?
- Selective perception
- Cultural assumption bias (Correct answer)
- Semantic noise
- Channel overload
Correct answer: Cultural assumption bias
Cultural assumption bias happens when a communicator presumes shared knowledge of idioms, humor, or references that may not translate across cultures.
Question 2: In Ting-Toomey's Face-Negotiation Theory, 'face' refers to:
- Facial expressions used in negotiation
- A person's public self-image and social identity (Correct answer)
- Direct eye contact during disagreements
- The physical appearance of negotiators
Correct answer: A person's public self-image and social identity
Face in this theory refers to a claimed sense of positive social self-worth that individuals want others to honor in interaction.
Question 3: Which research method is most appropriate for studying communication patterns within a specific cultural community over time?
- Laboratory experiment
- Ethnography (Correct answer)
- Content analysis
- Survey sampling
Correct answer: Ethnography
Ethnography involves immersive, long-term observation within a community to understand its communicative practices and cultural norms.
Question 4: A student studying abroad feels overwhelmed by unfamiliar customs, homesick, and frustrated. They are most likely experiencing:
- Ethnocentrism
- Culture shock (Correct answer)
- Intercultural competence
- Linguistic relativity
Correct answer: Culture shock
Culture shock is the disorientation and stress experienced when adapting to an unfamiliar cultural environment.
Question 5: The concept of 'third culture' in intercultural communication refers to:
- A government-funded translation service
- A shared communicative space negotiated between different cultural parties (Correct answer)
- The dominant culture that mediates between two minority groups
- A fusion cuisine restaurant concept
Correct answer: A shared communicative space negotiated between different cultural parties
Third culture is a mutually constructed space where interactants from different cultures create shared norms and understanding.
Question 6: Which of the following best illustrates 'low power distance' in an organizational communication context?
- Employees avoid disagreeing with senior managers in meetings
- Flat hierarchies where junior staff freely challenge leadership ideas (Correct answer)
- Formal titles are required when addressing supervisors
- Decision-making is reserved exclusively for executives
Correct answer: Flat hierarchies where junior staff freely challenge leadership ideas
Low power distance cultures value equality and open communication across hierarchical levels.
Question 7: Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (linguistic relativity) proposes that:
- Language is universal and does not affect thought
- The language we speak influences the way we perceive and think about the world (Correct answer)
- All languages have equivalent grammatical structures
- Nonverbal communication supersedes language in all cultures
Correct answer: The language we speak influences the way we perceive and think about the world
The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis argues that language shapes cognitive categories and influences how speakers perceive reality.
Mass Comm Bachelor of Communication Bachelor of Communication: Intercultural Competency 3
Which communication barrier occurs when a speaker assumes their audience shares the same cultural references and idioms?