Abstract
Introduction. This article presents the results of an experimental study of the contribution of anxiety and uncertainty to intercultural interaction, considered in the context of W. Gudykunst’s anxiety/uncertainty management theory. Despite the correlation studies confirming its basic provisions, only the prerequisites for the desire to interact with representatives of a different culture, which is one of the characteristics of effective intercultural interaction, have been experimentally studied. To date there is no empirical support for the perceived effectiveness of intercultural communication, which is a more representative criterion of the effectiveness of intercultural communication in the anxiety/uncertainty management theory. The experiment was aimed both at testing the hypothesis about the existence of a direct effect of situations of uncertainty and anxiety on the perceived effectiveness of intercultural interaction, and at studying the mediation of this influence by the perceived predictability of intercultural communication and perceived intergroup anxiety. Methods. The study used an experimental design of 2 (uncertainty manipulation) × 2 (anxiety manipulation). The dependent variables were the perceived predictability of intercultural communication, intergroup anxiety, and the perceived effectiveness of intercultural interaction in prospective communication with a Colombian partner. In total, 92 participants took part in the experiment, aged 18 to 44 years, 78 % of whom were women. The experiment took place online, on the ZOOM video conferencing platform. Results. Hypothesis testing was performed using mediation analysis based on regression. The parallelism of the effects of the situation of uncertainty and anxiety on the perceived effectiveness of intercultural communication has been experimentally demonstrated. These effects are indirect and mediated by perceived predictability and perceived intergroup anxiety. Discussion. The results of the study are consistent with the data obtained earlier in the study of W. Gudykunst’s anxiety/uncertainty management theory and are its first experimental confirmation. Moreover, we found that anxiety and uncertainty are different ways to ensure the effectiveness of intercultural communication.
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