Reducing negative affect about intercultural interactions through inoculation

Abstract Given that people of different cultures must increasingly interact with each other, the current study investigates the impact of an intercultural interaction as an inoculation against state communication apprehension (CA) and negative attitudes and beliefs about intercultural interactions. Specifically, this study sought to identify differences between Western and Middle Eastern cultures. A pretest–posttest design was used, with a 15-minute intercultural interaction as an intervention. Findings from a cross-cultural sample indicate that both US and Middle Eastern participants experienced a reduction in state CA and an improvement in attitudes and beliefs from pretest to posttest. Further discussion of findings and theoretical implications follow.