 Factors such as family, history, religion, and cultural identity 
     influence your decisions as to what to think about and how to 
     act.
     What you think and how you react to events is based in part on 
     how you perceive the world, which is strongly influenced by 
     cultural values. 
     What you consider important is often a product of values learned 
     during childhood and these values motivate your behavior. 
     Values are what “give a culture its distinctive quality.”
     Is there one God or many? 
     Is it acceptable to burn the American flag? 
     Would you eat whale meat?
                          Samovar et all. 2010. 
                   Communication Between Cultures
      The attitude you hold about an opinion, a moral issue, 
       some question of ethics, a proposed course of action, 
       or how to behave in a particular context is strongly 
       influenced by cultural values, and your values can 
       conflict with those from another culture. 
      The ability to recognize and manage this conflict plays 
       a central role in successful intercultural communication 
       exchanges. 
      Be aware of the impact of cultural values and provide 
       understanding on how values can be different across 
       cultures. 
      To accomplish this we will (1) examine perception, (2) 
       link perception to culture (3), briefly discuss values, 
                                  Samovar et all. 2010. 
       and (4) look at different patterns, or dimensions, of 
                         Communication Between Cultures
       cultural values.
    UNDERSTANDING PERCEPTION
     A simple illustration of culture’s influence on perception is what you see 
     when looking at the moon.  
     Most native born Americans will visualize a human face, but many 
     American Indians, as well as Japanese, perceive a rabbit; the Chinese 
     claim to see a lady fleeing her husband; and Samoans report a woman 
     weaving.
     What is the cause of these very different views? The reason is 
     perception—how diverse cultures have taught their members to look at 
     the world in different ways.
     Perception is how you make sense of your physical and social world, how 
     you construct reality.
     perception is the process whereby people convert external events and 
     experiences into meaningful internal understanding.
                            Samovar et all. 2010. 
                     Communication Between Cultures
     Characteristics of Perception
     - Alder and Gunderson - 
      Perception is selective—Because there are too many stimuli 
      competing for the attention of your senses at the same time, you 
      focus on selected information and filter out the rest.
      Perception is learned—Life’s experiences teach you to see the world 
      in certain ways.
      Perception is culturally determined—Culture teaches you the 
      meaning of most of your experiences.
      Perception is consistent—Once you perceive something in a 
      particular manner that interpretation does not usually change.
      Perception is inaccurate—You view the world through a subjective 
      lens influenced by culture, values, and personal experiences, which 
      tends to make you see what you want to see.
                                   Samovar et all. 2010. 
                          Communication Between Cultures
    UNDERSTANDING VALUES
     What you believe in becomes the foundation 
      for your values.
     What you find desirable for yourself and for the 
      society you live in is a result of your values.
     For instance, people in the United States place 
      great value on personal freedom and individual 
      rights, and they think people all over the world 
      should enjoy those same opportunities. 
     In China, however, the conservative leadership 
      sees “social harmony and moral rectitude” 
      taking precedence over the individual.
                              Samovar et all. 2010. 
                      Communication Between Cultures