In examining the pattern of status-related behavior in the United
States and Japan, the authors compared perceptions of verbal and
nonverbal behaviors of lower and higher status people in asymmetric
dyadic interaction using 105 behavioral scales. A similar gap
was found between perceptions of behavior of lower and higher status
people in both cultures, suggesting that this status-related behavior
follows a fundamental pattern probably common across cultures.
Nevertheless, culture appears to affect the magnitude at
which status-related behavior is manifested. In Japan, a hierarchical,
collectivist, tight, and high-context culture, the authors found
perceptions of greater differences in the behavior of lower and
higher status people than in the United States, a more egalitarian,
individualist, and low-context culture. The sources and implications
of this general pattern of status-related behavior and its crosscultural
differences are discussed. |