Cultural contexts are not absolutely "high" or "low". [2] Collectivist societies prioritize the group over the individual, and vice versa for individualist ones. According to Hall's theory, the Chinese and Korean samples represented higher-context cultures while the American sample represents a lower context culture. High-context communications typically take place in a collectivist setting, or within a large group of people who share similar goals, values, or norms (ingroups). 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. Resistance in Turkey and India Between World Wars, The Role of Culture & Gender in Listening, The Role of Perception & Bias in Intercultural Communication, Introduction to Educational Psychology: Certificate Program, Educational Psychology: Tutoring Solution, Research Methods in Psychology: Help and Review, Introduction to Psychology: Homework Help Resource, Abnormal Psychology: Homework Help Resource, Social Psychology: Homework Help Resource, Introduction to Psychology: Tutoring Solution, Educational Psychology: Homework Help Resource, UExcel Research Methods in Psychology: Study Guide & Test Prep, Research Methods in Psychology: Certificate Program, Research Methods in Psychology: Homework Help Resource, Create an account to start this course today. [38] By contrast, low-context cultures tend to change more rapidly and drastically, allowing extension[definition needed] to happen at faster rates. The Self in a Social Context: Help and Review, Figure-Ground Perception: Definition & Examples, Psychological Research & Experimental Design, All Teacher Certification Test Prep Courses, High Context vs. Low Context Characteristics, Introduction to Social Psychology: Help and Review, Research Methods and Ethics: Help and Review, Social Cognition & Perception: Help and Review, The Self: Executive and Organizational Functions & Gender and Cultural Differences, Introspection and Self-Awareness Theory in Psychology: Definition & Examples, Self-Perception Theory: Definition and Examples, Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation in Education: Definition & Examples, Two-Factor Theory of Emotions: Definition and Relation to the Misattribution of Arousal, Social-Comparison Theory: Upward vs. For example, resemblance is a significant trait in cultures with a high level of context. What is high and low context culture examples? Communicators in high-context cultures pay attention to more than the words spoken they also pay attention to interpersonal relationships, nonverbal expressions, physical settings, and social settings. Intercultural Communication in the Workplace, 18. 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. Data was gathered in India, Ireland, Thailand, and the United States where the results confirm that "high-context nations (India and Thailand) prefer the avoiding and obliging conflict styles more than low-context nations (Ireland and the United States), whereas low-context nations prefer the uncompromising and dominating communication style more than high-context nations."[16]. . The GLOBE Project Overview & Behavior Styles | What is the GLOBE Project? Disagreement is depersonalized. Verbal message is direct; one spells things out exactly. 18 Examples of Low Culture. (1971). 1. The tools are used to establish context by adding additional information as personal and social cues are not as presentable as they are in face-to-face negotiations. [30], Hall links language to culture through the work of Sapir-Whorf on linguistic relativity. Studentsshould always cross-check any information on this site with their course teacher. Context is less important than words. Conflict Styles and HighLow Context Cultures: A Cross-Cultural Extension. Same as low context communication high context do have its own peculiarities like they talk in hidden meanings and often double meanings or coded information. They assume that listeners know very little and must be told practically everything. India and Japan are typically high-context, highly collectivistic cultures, where business is done by building relationships and maintaining respectful communication. Websites catering to high-context audiences had a lot of animation & images. - Dosage & Side Effects, Anxiolytic: Definition, Medications & Dependence, What is Citalopram? On the other hand, low-context culture does not have any such shared background. Verbal message is explicit. These rules of communication are understood without being explicitly stated. In a low-context culture, you would not expect to give or receive gifts . [25], The categories of context cultures are not totally separate. The American sample scored the lowest compared to the two "Oriental samples," which aligns with Hall's concept. For example, while the United States is a low-context culture, family gatherings (which are common in American culture) tend to be high-context. Edward Hall is a famous theorist and anthropologist who has contributed a renowned theory of high- and low-context cultures to facilitate students, researchers . With this regard, America culture is a low-context . Copyright 2023 Helpful Professor. People within high-context cultures tend to be more aware and observant of facial expressions, body language, changes in tone, and other aspects of communication that are not directly spoken. High- context cultures are often collectivist in nature and largely defined by group communications, as well as the development or promotion of ingroups, or groups that individuals may become loyal to. (2012). Instead, they depend on the explicit code of the words and written rules to convey meaning. High-context cultures also value group harmony above individual achievement. Besides cultural context, personal experiences and preferences also shape communication. In this context, we will discuss those topics also. Kim Dunghoon conducted a study to test the major aspects of high-context versus low-context culture concepts. Body language, tone of voice, and personal status are a few notable characteristics that are valued in a high-context culture. Intercultural Business Communication by Confederation College is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. "Understanding cultural differences. [34], Restricted codes are commonly used in high-context culture groups, where group members share the same cultural background and can easily understand the implicit meanings "between the lines" without further elaboration. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Individualism may lead to communicating to all people in a group in the same way, rather than offering hierarchical respect to certain members. (PDF) COMMUNICATING IN HIGH & LOW CONTEXT CULTURES COMMUNICATING IN HIGH & LOW CONTEXT CULTURES March 2016 Affiliation: Arizona State University State: In Progress Authors: Jay Klagge. Getting the message across. [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. [37] Because individualistic cultures may value cultural diversity, a more explicit way of communicating is often required to avoid misunderstanding. High-context cultures are built on a sense of shared experiences and history. High Context vs. Low Context (Internet) Example of McDonalds Internet site: High: Families shown, lots of people on the website ads Low: You, your choices, easy to navigate High Context vs. Low Context (Law) High: Traditions are the laws Low: Rules and order are spelled out. The study suggests that in high-context cultures, such as China and Korea, people tend to be more socially oriented, less confrontational, and more complacent with existing ways of living compared to people from low-context cultures like the US.[23]. In high-context cultures, people are said to prefer symbolic, artful language that is implicit. [36], High-context cultures tend to be more stable, as their communication is more economical, fast, efficient and satisfying; but these are gained at a price of devoting time into preprogramming cultural background, and their high stability might come with a price of a high barrier for development. Words: 825. Once again we return to the differences between high-context and low-context cultures. Eye contact, for example, which is encouraged in North America, may have ambiguous meaning or be considered disrespectful in certain high-context cultures. High context refers to societies or groups where people have close connections over a long period of time. - Uses & Side Effects, Working Scholars Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community, Japan, China, Korea, and many other countries in Asia, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, and some other countries in South America, Tribal groups and most nations in Africa, such as Kenya, Iraq, Iran, and other countries located in the Middle East. In low-context cultures, communication tends to be more direct and to the point. These countries are quite explicit and elaborate without having prior knowledge to each member's history or background. Create your account, 10 chapters | A few examples of high-context cultures include China, Japan, South Africa, Argentina, and Spain; While low-context cultures are found more dominantly in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. High-context communications, as well as low-context interactions, are important to understand from many perspectives. For example, people in traditional high context cultures have been described as developing "shared identities." In direct contrast to low context behavior, in a negotiation, high context cultures communicate in Low-Context Culture Communication & Examples | What Is Low-Context Culture? Goodwill Messages and Recommendations. low-context communication is "the mass of information is vested in the explicit code". Sage Publications. The continuum pictures how people communicate with others through their range of communication abilities: utilizing gestures, relations, body language, verbal messages, or non-verbal messages. For example, in one country a cow is seen as leather, in another one - as a deity and in another one as dinner. We have close, personal relationships with our relatives. We also make strong distinctions between those who are a part of our family and those who are not. The cultural context. On one side of the dimension, we have high context cultures, which depend on greater context when communicating. An understanding of external cultures also leads to a better acceptance of diversity, a reduction in confusion and anxiety from misinterpreted communications, and a more effective means of intercultural collaboration. People from low-context cultures value logic, facts, and directness. Culture is a combination of our thoughts, roles, manners, values, etc. The United States, on the other hand, is considered a low-context culture, relying largely on explicit verbal explanations to keep everyone on the same page. High context cultures have a communication style based on body language, tone, and overall context; while low context cultures are more straightforward and explicit in communication. [1] In low context, communication members' communication must be more explicit, direct, and elaborate because individuals are not expected to have knowledge of each other's histories or background, and communication is not necessarily shaped by long-standing relationships between speakers. Family gatherings and interactions with people from high-context cultures are two examples of scenarios in which Americans participate in high-context communications, largely because they are with close-knit groups of people who share similar values, rules, and norms. According to Hall's theory, Chinese and Korean samples represented higher-context cultures while the American sample represents lower context. The reverse holds true for High (Collectivistic) Context Cultures. Ramos suggests that "in low context culture, communication members' communication must be more explicit. [42] In a case study conducted by the IT University of Copenhagen, it was found that websites catering to high-context cultures tended to have more detailed and advanced designs, including various images and animations. people generally use. This also means that low-context communication may fail due to the overload of information, which makes culture lose its screening[definition needed] function. By comparison, low-context cultures refer to cultures whereby most communications take place through verbal language and rules are directly written out or stated for all to view. Croucher's study examines the assertion that culture influences communication style (high/low-context) preference. [31], Between each type of culture context, there will be forms of miscommunication because of the difference in gestures, social cues, and intercultural adjustments; however, it is important to recognize these differences and learn how to avoid miscommunication to benefit certain situations. [30] The diversity within a main culture shows how the high and low scale differs depending on social settings such as school, work, home, and in other countries; variation is what allows the scale to fluctuate even if a large culture is categorized as primarily one or the other. Therefore, it is necessary for more explicit information to be included in the message so it is not misinterpreted. The Encyclopedia of Diversity and Social Justice states that, "high context defines cultures that are relational and collectivist, and which most highlight interpersonal relationships. Masculine vs. Feminine Cultures: Distinctions & Communication Styles. Neuliup, J. W. (2011). In high cultures, much of the communication is understood by the group either by non-verbal coding, which refers to common body language; distinct in-groups and out-group's, which refers to the cohesiveness of the group; and covert and implicit messages, which refers to what we refer . Topic: Culture, Context, Communication, Middle East, Business, Conflict, People, Relationships. Most of the contexting categories simply have not been researched enough to make firm conclusions. In. An experiment performed by the University of Glasgow shows that different cultures have different understanding of the facial expression signals of the six basic emotions, which are the so-called "universal language of emotion"happiness, surprise, fear, disgust, anger and sadness. I feel like its a lifeline. 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 the tone of voice employed during speech. [33] This significance follows into many situations such as the workplace, which can be prone to diversified cultures and opportunities for collaboration and working together. - Uses & Side Effects, What is Amitriptyline? In comparison, the United States is perhaps the best example of a diverse and low-context culture. Initially, high culture rejects these outsiders but eventually embraces them or appropriates . The differences between high-context and low-context cultures is one of the most challenging things to navigate and one of the most important and distinct differences that exists across cultures. A low-context culture is a culture in which people communicate explicitly. High-context cultures: Much of the society's communication takes place through . A first step in achieving this goal is to identify one's own culture before delving into the rigors of another. ", Last edited on 27 February 2023, at 23:13, http://db19.linccweb.org/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/rowmandasj/high_context/0, "Intercultural Communication on Web sites: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Web sites from High-Context Cultures and Low-Context Cultures", "The Influence of High- and Low-Context Communication Styles On the Design, Content, and Language of Business-To-Business Web Sites", "The Influence of High-/Low-Context Culture on Perceived Ad Complexity and Liking", "Communication Style and Cultural Features in High/Low Context Communication Cultures: A Case Study of Finland, Japan and India", 10.1002/(SICI)1520-6793(199809)15:6<507::AID-MAR2>3.0.CO;2-A, "Communicational Features in High/Low Context Organizational Culture: A Case Study of Romania and Russia", "low-context and high-context communication", https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/dictmedia/communication_intercultural_communication/0, "Communication: intercultural communication", "Managing conflict in global teams: 4 keys to leveraging cultural differences in diverse teams", "International communication 101: staying on the right side of culture", "Individualism, Collectivism, High And Low Context", "Discovering cultural differences (and similarities) in facial expressions of emotion", "The Human Face as a Dynamic Tool for Social Communication", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=High-context_and_low-context_cultures&oldid=1141991389, This page was last edited on 27 February 2023, at 23:13. Effectively communicating within this culture, therefore, requires messaging that is perceived as objective, professional, and efficient. People have many acquaintances they have fewer close friends. Japan is generally considered a high-context culture, meaning people communicate based on inherent understanding. The following are illustrative examples. Typically a high-context culture will be relational, collectivist, intuitive, and contemplative. For example, the Native Americans in the United States rely heavily on their tradition. In contrast, take a look at the ads on the front page of Weibo, which is considered China's version of Facebook. It relies on the straightforward use of language, without depending much on nonverbal cues. Low-context cultures are less stable than high-context cultures as they are not founded upon any shared background. Cultural communications are highly important to understand for a number of reasons and the concept of high-context vs. low-context culture was first elaborated by anthropologist Edward T. Hall in 1976. The ways by which humans communicate are based heavily on the context of what is being spoken, the individuals involved, and the setting in which the communication takes place. They are not simply complementary but are often used as the primary means of conveying a message and require the members to have greater cultural understanding. A conclusion may be implied but not argued directly. Also remember that although cultures are different from one another, no culture or cultural characteristic is better or worse than any other. The review process on Helpful Professor involves having a PhD level expert fact check, edit, and contribute to articles. Devon has tutored for almost two years. [7][8] Denotation tends to be attributed to low-context culture[9] People in low-context cultures communicate in a more direct way, with explicitly speaking what they want to communicate. It describes the level of explicit information and the importance of context in a given culture, indicating the range of communicative abilities (verbal messages, gestures, etc.) Flowery language, humility, and elaborate apologies are typical. Want to create or adapt books like this? It is important to note that no culture is low-context or high-context in absolute terms but a mix of both. However, the concept may also apply to corporations, professions and other cultural groups, as well as to settings such as online and offline communication. Low context cultures rely on the spoken word to communicate. It is important to note that while a nation or society may be widely considered a high-context or low-context culture, certain events occur in the opposite context regularly (such as family gatherings in the United States). Cultures and communication in which context is of great importance to structuring actions is referred to as high context. Sourabh Yadav (MA) and Peer Reviewed by Chris Drew (PhD), Bureaucratization (Sociology): Definition, Features, Origins, Stereotype Content Model: Examples and Definition. References Gudykunst, W. B., & Ting-Toomey, S. (1988). The use of an elaborated code indicates that speaker and listener do not share significant amounts of common knowledge, and hence they may need to "spell out" their ideas more fully: elaborated codes tend to be more context-independent. Examples of High Context Small religious gatherings, party with close friends, family functions, dining out with family or friends, and sleep over at friend's place, etc. Since they value collectivism and interdependence, it makes sense that their communication requires an understanding of the communitys shared values. "[29] A similarity that the two communication styles share is its influence on social characteristics such as age, gender, social class and ethnicity. Cultures Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values. The general terms "high context" and "low context" (popularized by Edward Hall) are used to describe broad-brush cultural differences between societies. Guffey, M. E., Lowey, D., Rhodes, K., & Rogin, P. (2013). the study of body movement including gestures, hand, arm, and leg movements, facial expressions, eye contact, and stance or posture Low-context message a message where the message is encoded in the words used or in the verbal expression and not as much in the context Masculinity-Femininity "[28] In such cultures, people are highly perceptive of actions. Since a high-context culture is based on fewer, deeper relations with people, there are many unspoken social rules and understandings within the culture. This makes high-context cultures difficult to navigate for those who do not understand the culture's unwritten rules. The theory of High and Low Context Cultures puts how people communicate in a dimension. [5], These concepts were first introduced by the anthropologist Edward T. Hall in his 1959 book The Silent Language. Interaction. Answer (1 of 2): Examples of high context countries include: Japan, China, and the Arab countries. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. As such, high-context cultures tend to cater to the development and promotion of ingroups, which are groups that we belong to and are loyal to, including families, cultures, and religious congregations. High context cultures tend to build relationships slowly, and they are generally stable for a long time and are based on trust and loyalty. [14] However, understanding the broad tendencies of predominant cultures can help inform and educate individuals on how to better facilitate communication between individuals of differing cultural backgrounds. 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. Hall is also credited for developing the idea of chronemics, or the study of the use of time during nonverbal communications. Writing Topic Sentences and Body Paragraphs, 38. Cite this Article in your Essay (APA Style), Privacy PolicyTerms and ConditionsDisclaimerAccessibility StatementVideo Transcripts. Since understanding every culture has its level of complexity, it is hard for other country people to determine what is the state of culture of the country they visit as a traveller. Low-context countries, on the other hand, relied more on linear processes and verbal communication. A low-context (LC) communication is just the opposite; i.e., the mass of the information is vested in the explicit code.". 231 lessons. For example, a low-context communicator can say, "I am unhappy with this outcome and . Yolanda has taught college Psychology and Ethics, and has a doctorate of philosophy in counselor education and supervision. Beyond Culture. Type of paper: Research Paper. Explain the differences between high- and low-context cultures, giving examples of each. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. Focusing on tradition creates opportunities for higher-context messages between individuals of each new generation, and the high-context culture feeds back to the stability hence allows the tradition to be maintained. London: Routledge. High-context communication tends to be more indirect and more formal. Generally, high-context cultures prefer oral communications, while low-context cultures favor written communications. Routledge. A 2008 meta-analysis concluded that the model was "unsubstantiated and underdeveloped".[5]. [19] This has been expanded to further countries by Sheposh & Shaista. Learn what high context culture is. High-context cultures are more likely to be intuitive, contemplative, and concerned with the collective. Due to this shared understanding, high-context cultures are slightly more informal. lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. [14] Groups that are able to rely on a common background may not need to use words as explicitly to understand each other. In high-context cultures, there are often many opportunities for social and cultural context to explain speech, which reduces the need for words in all instances. Note: Comparison of low- and high-context cultures reprinted from Business communication: Process & product (p. 64) by M.E. About The Helpful Professor It is important to note that no culture is completely high-context or low-context, since all societies contain at least some parts that are both high and low. 2. Cultural Perceptions of Communication in Organizations: Low Context and High Context. All the advice on this site is general in nature. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. It can imply understanding or agreement, but it can also mean their conversea lack of certainty. France is a high-context culture. Information has to be explicit and detailed for the message to be conveyed without distortion. Trust High context cultures and situations may extend significant trust to members. In contrast, the use of restricted codes indicates that speakers and listeners do share a great deal of common background and perspectives, and hence much more can be taken for granted, and thus expressed implicitly or through nuance: restricted codes tend to be more context-dependent. For a communicator to successfully interact with others from a different culture he must know whether his own culture is high or low context and which context is the culture in the interaction. In addition, Hall identified countries such as Japan, Arabic countries and some Latin American Countries to practice high-context culture; "High context communication carries most of its information within physical acts and features such as avoiding eye contact or even the shrug of a shoulder. I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. Croucher, S., Bruno, A, McGrath, P, Adams, C, McGahan, C, Suits, A & Huckins, A. Trompenaars' Cultural Dimensions Model & Examples | 7 Dimensions of Culture, Hofstede's Uncertainty Avoidance | Culture, Example & Index, Developing an Audience-Centered Presentation, Methods to Increase the Accuracy of Impressions, Long-Term vs. Short-Term Orientation | Hofstede, Culture & Concept, Cross-Cultural Interactions & Relationships in Agile Organizations. Indeed, Vietnamese communication style has all the characteristics of highcontext cultures, such as indirect and digressive communication, use of few words, reliance on contextual cues, avoidance of the use of personal names, respect for long silences, and waiting politely until the other person has stopped speaking before taking turns.