Title
A Mathematical Model for Intercultural Interactions: Making Connections and Increasing Harmony
Abstract
Methods for teaching intercultural communication skills are frequently based on identifying norms of communication in different cultures. Sociolinguistic theory is employed to create a parallel distributed processing (PDP) model, which is used to demonstrate the inadequacy of this normative approach to training. It is argued that communicators normally infer relational intentions from socially significant linguistic and discourse features. These features acquire their significance through use in well-defined social situations. The probabilogical inference process underlying negotiation of salient identities is modeled in terms of a type of PDP model of cognitive processing. A simulation of the relational inference process demonstrates the impact of marked and unmarked code choices on a hypothetical, simple cognitive system. Implications for the conduct of intercultural communication training are discussed.
Document Type
Article
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.1993.tb01250.x
Publication Date
1993
Recommended Citation
Armstrong, G. Blake, and Isabelle Bauman. "A mathematical model for intercultural interactions: Making connections and increasing harmony." Journal of communication 43, no. 1 (1993): 81-100.
Journal Title
Journal of Communication
