 | Term | Definition |
| |
diversity |
how similar or different group members are from one another |
| |
member homogeneity |
similary of group members |
| |
member heterogeneity |
differences among group members |
| |
demographic diversity (social category diversity) |
diversity based on attributes such as gender, age, country of origin, or ethnicity |
| |
personal diversity |
member differences in attributes such as personality and background |
| |
ability and skill diversity |
member differences in abilities and skills |
| |
informational diversity |
member differences in knowledge bases and perspectives |
| |
surface-level diversity |
member diversity arising out of demographic and physical characteristics |
| |
deep-level diversity |
member diversity arising out of attitudinal, belief, and value differences |
| |
similarity attraction paradigm |
tendency to be attracted to and to like people who are similar to us in interests, attitudes, values, and demographics |
| |
intergroup anxiety |
the worry and arousal, and consequent avoidance or excessive politeness, that may occur when we interact with people who are not from our group |
| |
reciprocal liking |
the idea that an important determinant of our liking of others is whether we think they like us |
| |
mere exposure effect |
the more often we are exposed to something, the more we like it; explains why we like familiar things and people |
| |
cultural distance |
the extent to which one culture differs from another |
| |
social distance |
the extent to which members of one culture have contact with members of another culture |
| |
social categorization approach |
emphasizes that we categorize members according to preexisting stereotypes, leading to biased perceptions and interactions |
| |
schemas |
cognitive structures that influence how information from the environment is perceived, stored, and remembered |
| |
stereotypes |
generalized beliefs about what members of an identifiable group are like that operate as schemas when perceiving members of those groups |
| |
priming effect |
the more recently a schema has been activated, the more accessible it is to memory, and the more likely it is to be applied in another context |
| |
exception-to-the-rule category |
a schema created to accommodate what a person thinks is a rare case contradicting an otherwise "correct" stereotype |
| |
value-in-diversity hypothesis |
posits that diversity in groups offers distinct benefits, such as greater creativity and better problem solving |
| |
marketing argument (cultural rationale) for diversity |
suggests that diversity's value lies in its potential to increase profits or create better products or services |
| |
intercultural approach |
perspective that emphasizes helping people to understand, accept, and value the cultural differences between groups |
| |
acculturation strategies |
the variety of ways in which individuals and groups can respond to diversity, ranging from the isolation of minority group members to integration |
| |
subtractive assimilation (subtractive multiculturalism) |
the idea that people should give up their unique cultural attributes to fit with the majority culture |
| |
additive multiculturalism (integration) |
the idea that we should respond to diversity by working to understand and appreciate other groups and integrate diverse perspectives |
| |
intercultural competence |
the ability to interact effectively with people from other cultures |
| |
ethnocentrism |
the belief that the customs, norms, and values of our ingroup are universally valid and correct |
| |
intercultural sensitizer (ICS) |
a programmed training exercise designed to teach that different behaviors have different meanings in different cultures |
| |
power distance |
in a culture, the amount of respect and deference less powerful (subordinate) members generally give to more powerful (superior) members |
| |
uncertainty avoidance |
the degree to which individuals in a society feel uncomfortable with situations that are unstructured, unclear, or unpredictable |
| |
individualism/collectivism |
the extent to which individuals in a society view themselves as individuals or as part of a group |
| |
masculinity/femininity |
whether a society's dominant values emphasize assertiveness and materialism (masculine) or other-centeredness and quality of life (feminine) |
| |
ecological fallacy |
the mistaken belief that because two cultures differ, that any two members of those cultures must necessarily differ in that same manner |
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