Cross-Cultural Interaction: Potential Invisible Barriers

Abstract

Summary The present research investigated the initial stages in forming social acquaintances with special emphasis on social contacts formed across ethno-linguistic boundaries. Two studies were conducted with male and female French and English Canadian college students. The first study (N = 160) assessed perceptions and expectations about forming new acquaintances. The second (N = 325), a field study, focused on the behavior of people in the process of forming new ingroup or outgroup acquaintances. Results of both studies provided some insights into why there is so little interaction between members of the two ethno-linguistic groups. It was found that forming new acquaintances is a more difficult process than imagined, especially with cross-cultural acquaintances. Moreover, an outgroup member was required to be more similar to the S on a variety of dimensions in order to qualify as a potential friend. If differences in language per se do not seem sufficient to explain the lack of interaction, various psychosocial aspects of a bilingual environment (different language skills, preservation of ethnic identity) are suggested as important deterrents to cross-cultural interaction.