[42] The images found on the websites used in the study promoted individualistic and collectivist characteristics within the low-context and high-context websites, respectively. Since a high-context culture is based on fewer, deeper relations with people, there are many unspoken social rules and understandings within the culture. Published: 2020/12/03. High-context cultures are related to connotation. This also means that low-context communication may fail due to the overload of information, which makes culture lose its screening[definition needed] function. 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. It further attempts to draw parallels between face-to-face communication and communication on the web by looking at communication rules and patterns in high-context cultures and comparing and contrasting them to the . For example, families typically engage in high context communication whereby they can communicate much with subtleties such as a glace. For example, Hall describes how Japanese culture has both low- and high-context situations. A first step in achieving this goal is to identify one's own culture before delving into the rigors of another. This means that the members' identity is heavily rooted in groups, i.e., families and work units. On one side of the dimension, we have high context cultures, which depend on greater context when communicating. In anthropology, high-context culture and low-context culture are ends of a continuum of how explicit the messages exchanged in a culture are and how important the context is in communication. Learn more about our academic and editorial standards. They also displayed pictures of individuals, while high-context websites foregrounded group pictures. Watch this video from international business expert Erin Meyer [1]. Low context cultures emphasize individuality and tasks. 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. High-context cultures promote the development of ingroups. "High context". Seekprofessional input on your specific circumstances. (2012). High vs. Low Power Distance Cultural Communications | What are High and Low Power Distance Cultural Communications? Beyond Culture. About The Helpful Professor For example, if you have ever been to a family gathering, then you have experience with a high-context culture. Low context communication is more common in the English speaking world, whereas high context communication is more common in Eastern cultures such as Japan and China. Japan and other countries located in Asia, Brazil and other countries located in South America, African tribal groups and most countries located in Africa, A majority of the Middle East, including Iraq and Iran, Describe Edward T. Hall's characterization of high-context cultures, Distinguish between high-context and low-context cultures, Explain the characteristics of high-context cultures, Recall the importance of ingroups to high-context cultures. Copyright 2023 Helpful Professor. A number of unique characteristics exist to make a clear distinction between high-context vs. low-context cultures and methods of communication. ; it is the way we communicate, do business and see the world. Their communication is often indirect and requires a nuanced understanding, so outsiders might find it more difficult to enter their culture. This makes high-context cultures difficult to navigate for those who do not understand the culture's unwritten rules. Settings and cultures where people come together from a wider diversity of backgrounds such as international airports, large cities, or multi-national firms, tend to use lower-context communication forms. People are comfortable standing close to each other. High Context vs. Low Context High-context is that "most of the information is either in the physical context or initialized in the person, while very little is in the coded, explicit, transmitted part of the message." (Hall). Nonetheless, the contexting model simply cannot be described as an empirically validated model. According to Hall's theory, Chinese and Korean samples represented higher-context cultures while the American sample represents lower context. For example, the body language and methods of communication experienced by a group of close friends in a casual setting differs greatly from a group of peers presenting at a professional business meeting. The high and low context cultures in this concept refers to how important contextual cues are in interpreting a message. 3. 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. Cultural Perceptions of Communication in Organizations: Low Context and High Context. (The pedestrians example) High-context cultures are those in which the rules of communication are primarily transmitted through the use of contextual elements (i.e., body language, a person's status, and tone of voice) and are not explicitly stated. [2] High-context cultures often exhibit less-direct verbal and nonverbal communication, utilizing small communication gestures and reading more meaning into these less-direct messages. Conflict Styles and HighLow Context Cultures: A Cross-Cultural Extension. Low context is a communication environment that doesn't heavily rely on common understanding such as shared culture, experiences and norms.This can be contrasted with high context communication that relies on common background or understanding. We'll also look at how they're different and what that means for your work in global business. Most notably, members of either culture must recognize and make an effort to understand the values and characteristics of other cultures so that miscommunications may be avoided. High Context vs. Low Context. 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. 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 Flowery language, humility, and elaborate apologies are typical. The theory of High and Low Context Cultures puts how people communicate in a dimension. Cultures Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values. Create your account, 10 chapters | Two Types of Reflective Writing Assignments, Additional Resources for Improving Writing, Consistency in comparatives and listed elements: Parallelism, Hofstede Insights country comparison tool, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oYfhTC9lIQ, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQvqDv4vbEg, https://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/42958_2_The_Cultural_Context.pdf, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, Tend to prefer indirect verbal interaction, Tend to understand meaning at one level only, Tend to understand meanings embedded at many sociocultural levels, Are generally less proficient in reading nonverbal cues, Are generally more proficient in reading nonverbal cues, Communication in highly structured messages, provide details, stress literal meaning, Communication is simple, sometimes ambiguous, messages; understand visual messages readily, Define cultural context (Guffey et al., 2013, p. 64), Contrast communicate styles for low-context and high-context cultures (Meyer, 2017, p. 59), Explain how cultural differences can affect workplace communication (Lavin Agency Speakers Bureau, 2014). The hypotheses tested indicated the high-context culture in Mexico would provide different motives for communication when compared with the low-context culture of the U.S. China, Japan, Turkey, and Mexico are some countries that lean towards high-context. 9. For instance, a study has argued that both Japan and Finland (high-context cultures) are becoming lower-context with the increased influence of Western European and United States culture.[22]. The designation "high and low context culture" broadly refers to the way people communicate in cultures. [42] Low-context websites had less animation and more stagnant images, with more details on information. 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. For example, a low-context communicator can say, "I am unhappy with this outcome and . High-context cultures are collectivist cultures. In comparison, the United States is perhaps the best example of a diverse and low-context culture. Remember that culture is dynamic, and that every individual within a culture is unique and may not conform exactly to the general characteristics of that culture. [20][21], Cultural context can also shift and evolve. Verbal message is explicit. For example Japan, which has a very high context culture, uses both polychronic and monochronic time. 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. Interaction. 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. Oxford University Press. Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): A graph which shows the level of context in various world cultures. Low-Context Culture Communication & Examples | What Is Low-Context Culture? [25], The categories of context cultures are not totally separate. India and Japan are typically high-context, highly collectivistic cultures, where business is done by building relationships and maintaining respectful communication. Members of the culture place emphasis on interpersonal relationships. - Uses & Side Effects, What is Amitriptyline? [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. Dr. Drew has published over 20 academic articles in scholarly journals. Anchor Press/Doubleday. Japan and China are some of the best examples of high-context cultures, in addition to Brazil, Argentina, Spain, and many nations throughout Africa and the Middle East. Japan is a country with a high-context culture. Cultural contexts are not absolutely "high" or "low". Individualism and collectivism are related to low-context and high-context cultures, respectively. High-context cultures are built on a sense of shared experiences and history. Teachers can share their own experiences and examples with their students. Low-context communicators dont need to be provided with much background information, but they do expect messages to be professional, efficient, and linear in their logic. Identify your style Before implementing effective communication practices across cultures, identify your own style: Instead, they depend on the explicit code of the words and written rules to convey meaning. Both the speaker and listener act under the assumption that all relevant information has been explicitly stated. This study, done by Kim Dunghoon, was to test the major aspects the high versus low-context culture concepts. [14] Groups that are able to rely on a common background may not need to use words as explicitly to understand each other. (2014, May 9). 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. [25] There were 225 Mexican participants from three different undergraduate universities in Mexico City and 447 participants from Kent State University in the U.S.[25] The case study looked into culture shock experienced by Mexicans studying in the U.S. 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. High-context cultures are those that communicate in ways that are implicit and rely heavily on context. Characteristics of Low Context People behave according to rules Preference is given to knowledge sharing and transfer Relationships do not last longer On purpose relationships An individual from Texas (a higher-context culture) may communicate with a few words or use of a prolonged silence characteristic of Texan English, where a New Yorker would be very explicit (as typical of New York City English), although both speak the same language (American English) and are part of a nation (the United States of America) which is lower-context relative to other nations. 231 lessons. Because a low-context setting cannot rely on shared understanding of potentially ambiguous messages, low-context cultures tend to give more information, or to be precise in their language. When it comes to emails, texts, and online messaging, low-context cultures use it to fire off quick, frequent messages. According to Hall, the high-context culture definition relates to a culture by which the rules of communication are primarily and dominantly transmitted through the use of contextual elements. These experiences inclu. Ramos, D. C. (2014). Hofstede, G. (1984). Low-context culture refers to a culture that communicates explicitly. Unlike low-context cultures, high-context cultures prioritize the group over the individual (Hofstede, 1984). We have close, personal relationships with our relatives. Although the concept of high- and low-context cultures is usually applied in the field of analyzing national cultures, it can also be used to describe scientific or corporate cultures, or specific settings such as airports or law courts. Conclusions are explicitly stated. Sage Publications. Examples of a low context communication cultures include The United States, the UK, Switzerland, Canada and Germany. ", 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. Neuliup, J. W. (2011). The low-context websites had multiple images of individuals, while the high-context websites contained images and animations of groups and communities.[42]. They often use written contracts and agreements to clarify expectations (Gudykunst & Ting-Toomey, 1988). Routledge. Many low context cultures are individualist so people openly express their views, and tend to make important information obvious to others. The cultural context. Instead, many cultures tend to have a mixture or at least some concepts that are shared between them, overlapping the two context cultures.[26]. Learn more about our academic and editorial standards. Amount of Detail Expected - High-context cultures such as Japan, China, and France provide little details in their writing. Contents show Low Context Culture Definition Edward T. Hall describes low-context culture as one in which: Researchers today are using it greatly to study different cultures all over the world. [30][32], Families, subcultures and in-groups typically favour higher-context communication. [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. [32] Since all sets of cultures differ, especially from a global standpoint where language also creates a barrier for communication, social interactions specific to a culture normally require a range of appropriate communication abilities that an opposing culture may not understand or know about. In contrast, low-context websites had lesser animation and images, focusing instead on the information. Low context implies that a lot of information is exchanged explicitly through the message itself and rarely is anything implicit or hidden.People in low context cultures such as the UK tend to have short-term relationships, follow rules and standards closely and are generally very task-oriented. But the fact that contexting has not been empirically validated should not necessarily be construed as a failure of the theory. [38] By contrast, low-context cultures tend to change more rapidly and drastically, allowing extension[definition needed] to happen at faster rates. 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). Examples of high-context cultures include Asian, African, Latin American, and some European countries. Communication is seen as a way of exchanging information, ideas, and opinions. [22], The concept of elaborated and restricted codes was introduced by sociologist Basil Bernstein in his book Class, Codes and Control. Context 1. . The reverse holds true for High (Collectivistic) Context Cultures. For an outsider, it is easier to enter into low-context cultures because one does not need to be aware of the shared history/values of the group. For example, the head wobble (tilting the head from side to side) in India is a gesture that can convey a variety of meanings depending on the situation. All articles are edited by a PhD level academic. However, this type of segregation is not rigid, but takes the form of a gradient since the contextual base of a culture is not a quantifiable but relative concept. 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. Information is transmitted not through words alone but also through non-verbal cues such as gestures, voice inflection, and facial expression, which can have different meanings in different cultures. What is an Interculturally Effective Person (IEP)? Russia is a high context country with a culture that revolves around collectivism and interdependence on group relationships. [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. Low-context cultures can seem slightly more formal due to the explicit & precise nature of their messages. [6] Primarily use non-verbal methods to relay meaningful information in conversations, such as facial expressions, eye movement, and tone of voice. [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. These are some important high-context culture characteristics to look out for. Examples of low-context cultures include the United States, Australia, and many European countries. Meaning depends on what is said- the literal content of the message- rather than how it is said. Most of the cultural behavior aspects are not open for the reason that many of the members are aware of what to do and what thoughts to engage in. One approach to gaining such an insight is through the use of the high and low context culture framework, which was established by anthropologist Edward T. Examples of low context cultures are countries such as China, Brazil or Saudi Arabia. This can be quite confusing to an outsider, especially someone from a low-context culture who is used to communicating via explicit messages. France is a high-context culture. Downward, Self-Monitoring, Ingratiation, and Self-Handicapping: Definition & Examples, Impression Management: Festinger's Study of Cognitive Dissonance, Post-Decision Dissonance & Counterattitudinal Advocacy, Attributions and the Correspondence Bias in Psychology: Definition & Dispositions vs. Situational Behavior, Effort Justification: Aronson & Mills Study, Examples & Applications, Self-Serving Attributions: Definition, Bias & Examples, Self-Regulation Theory: Definition & Strategies, High-Context Culture: Definition & Examples, Overjustification Effect: Definition & Examples, Social Epidemiology: Definition & Methods, Self-Promotion in Psychology: Definition & Examples, Mark Snyder's Self-Monitoring System: Definition & Scale, Involuntary Emotional Expression Disorder: Symptoms & Treatment, Attitudes and Persuasion: Help and Review, Attraction & Close Relationships: Help and Review, Stereotypes, Prejudice, & Discrimination: Help and Review, Applied Social Psychology: Help and Review, UExcel Psychology of Adulthood & Aging: Study Guide & Test Prep, Psychology of Adulthood & Aging for Teachers: Professional Development, Abnormal Psychology for Teachers: Professional Development, Life Span Developmental Psychology for Teachers: Professional Development, Research Methods in Psychology for Teachers: Professional Development, Social Psychology for Teachers: Professional Development, Psychology for Teachers: Professional Development, Human Growth & Development Studies for Teachers: Professional Development, What is Suicidal Ideation?