Cognitive Differences And Intercultural Communication: A Field Approach

In this dissertation, the author, on his own initiative, suggests a field approach from the perspectives of linguistics, physics, cultural studies, psychology and cognitive science. Such approach is applied to the study of communication, and especially intercultural communication between Chinese and Westerners. This attempt aims at understanding the complex mechanism through which communication takes place in social-cultural and other communication-sensitive contexts, and such theoretically new approach involves the obligation of setting communication into its proper framework, i.e., the study of the casual relations among all the elements and their mutual influence and determination in human communication, characterized by multidimensionality and multi-determination.Differences in cultural properties of the participants bring about intercultural communication, and in this sense, instead of a comprehensive study of all the elements of a communication field, the author mainly focuses on the discussion of participants and their interaction and determination with other elements and factors related to the communication field. An in-depth analysis is conducted by the author in order to testify that Field-dependent vs. Field-independent in cognitive patterns should be the most basic difference between Chinese and Westerners, and such distinction is used in the further micro studies of intercultural communication between Chinese and Westerners.In Chapter One, the author presents an overview of this dissertation, including the scope, methods, purpose, and organizationof his research. Two key terms are defined in this introduction. The author, in Chapter Two, first reviews the literature concerning the development and main approaches of communication studies. The paper selects three communication theories, and discusses the major elements of communication. On this basis, the Field Theory is introduced and a field approach is applied to communication studies. In the third chapter, the concept of "intercultural particles" is posed followed by the discussion of cultural properties of communication participants. Then the differences of intercultural particles are thoroughly discussed and emphasis falls on the cognitive differences between Chinese and Westerners with a field approach, and it ends with the most remarkable and significant distinction, Field Dependent vs. Field Independent, between Chinese and Westerners. The author attempts the application of such distinction to intercultural communication studies in Chapter Four. After a short review of the literature on intercultural communication, the author furthers the cognitive distinction to three aspects as interpersonal relations including studies of face and Gtiami, communication styles with context, and the concept and use of time. Some well-known comparisons between Chinese and Westerners, including different face strategies, Chinese preference for Gaatrxi, high vs. low context and polychrome vs. monochronic time, are involved and restudied with a special emphasis on the Field Dependent vs. Field Independent distinction and its consequent manifestation in intercultural communication. Finally, the author summarizes this dissertation and suggests future research plans in the fifth chapter.From this dissertation, the following conclusion can be made: a) The application of a field approach to communication studies hasmanaged to set communication into its proper framework, i.e., thestudy of the casual relations among all the elements and their mutual influence and determination in human communication, characterized by multidimensionality and multi-determination.b) Differences in cultural properties of the participants bring about intercultural communication. and the distinction of Field-dependent vs. Field-independent in cognitive pattern is the most basic difference between Chinese and Westerners, which thus plays a decisive role in almost every aspect characterizing intercultural communication.c) Three aspects, interpe...