Uncertainty, anxiety, and adaptation

Abstract

Gudykunst and Hammer generated a communication-based theory to explain intercultural adaptation. Two assumptions of the theory are empirically testable: Assumption 3—the reduction of cognitive uncertainty and affective anxiety exert independent influences on adaptation; and Assumption 4—the reduction of uncertainty and anxiety are necessary and sufficient conditions for adaptation. The purpose of the present paper is to present a preliminary test of these two assumptions by examining a portion of Gudykunst and Hammer's theory. Three alternative models involving the effect of social contact, cultural similarity, and cultural knowledge on uncertainty, anxiety, and adaptation were tested. The data support Gudykunst and Hammer's assumptions; that is, the effect of social contact, cultural similarity, and cultural knowledge on adaptation is mediated through the reduction of uncertainty and anxiety, and uncertainty and anxiety reduction are independent. The implications of these findings for intercultural training are outlined.