This document discusses some of the challenges of community policing across cultures. It notes that police officers may have difficulty decoding subtly expressed emotions in some Asian cultures like Chinese culture. Officers must learn lifestyle differences in cultures they are unfamiliar with and respect those differences. The document provides information on cultural influences on nonverbal behavior and communication. It discusses the concepts of individualism versus collectivism in cultures and characteristics of more expressive versus reserved nonverbal styles. The document emphasizes that to be successful in cross-cultural interactions, police officers need to establish credibility, deliver messages clearly without patronizing, show attentiveness to understand different perspectives, and be perceived as trustworthy.

3. Community Policing Challenges

4. Continued
Law enforcement officers may be at a disadvantage when
cross-cultural contact occurs in Asian cultures particular in
Chinese cultures where express emotions are more subtly,
encoding nuanced that Western may find difficulty decoding
Police officers must learn lifestyle differences that they are
unfamiliar with.
Respecting those differences
Recognize diversity and value it

5. Culture
• Immigrants bring cultural beliefs and practices
that may conflict with mainstream American
culture.
• Culture is not innate, it is learned,
• Transmission of culture occurs by words and by
nonverbal actions

6. Cultural influences
nonverbal behavior in
profound ways.
Just as members of
every culture learn to
communicate
differently with verbal
language, they also
learn to communicate
differently with
nonverbal language.

7. What is Culture?
Human culture is defined as
a unique meaning and
information system, shared
by a group and transmitted
across generations.
Culture gives meaning
to social contexts,
social roles, identities,
relationships, and
settings.
Culture create rules
we call norms that
help to determine
what is appropriate or
not in our behaviors
with specific people in
specific contexts.

10. Arbitrary vs Intrinsic
Communication
Intrinsic
(biologically shared
signal system)
Arbitrary (signal system
developed within a
group of people)

11. Cultural Display Rules
• Term used to account for cultural differences in facial
expressions of emotions
• Learned early in childhood that help individuals manage and
modify their emotional expressions depending on social
circumstances
• Display Rule Assessment Inventory (DRAI)
• Collectivistic cultures endorse less expressive behavior.
• Individualistic cultures endorse more expressive behavior

12. Nonverbal Characteristics of
Expressive and Reserved Cultures
Channel Expressive Reserved
Face Many facial expression,
animated, regularly show
emotions, use of face to amplify
and illustrate
Fewer facial expressions, less
emotions, more controlling
expressions
Gesture Many illustrating gestures, large
motions, higher frequency of
emblem usage
Fewer illustrating gestures,
smaller motions, lower
frequency of emblem usage
Voice Louder voices, deeper range,
higher speech rate
Softer voices, diminished range,
lower speech rates
Gaze Direct gaze at eyes of people to
whom one is speaking
Less direct gaze at eyes of
people to whom one is speaking
Interpersonal space and touch Closer distances Farther distances in interaction,
Less likely to touch, possible
reason, to compensate for
crowded conditions.
Posture More relaxed, open postures More rigid, closed postures

13. Individualism vs Collectivism
Individualistic Cultures
• Positively associated with
higher expressivity norms in
general and for positive
emotions in particular
• Positively associated with
endorsement of expressions
of all emotions
• English Speaking Countries
Collectivistic Cultures
• Endorse less expressivity
overall than individualistic
cultures
• Suggest that overall
expressive regulations for
all emotions is central to the
preservation of social order
in these cultures (Confucian
ideology )
• Asian Countries

14. Characteristics of Different Types of Cultural Display Rules
Label Description Example
Express Express an emotion as it is felt with
no modification
Expressing an emotion “as is,” as
when alone or with close friends or
family
Amplify Exaggerate the expression of an
emotion so that what is displayed is
more than what is felt
Laughing loudly at your boss’s bad
joke even though it is only mildly
amusing
Deamplify Reduce the intensity of the
expression so that what is displayed
is less than what is felt
Scolding a child when angry, showing
that you’re angry but not enraged
Neutralize Show nothing Poker face; stone-faced
Qualify Express the emotion but with
another expression to comment on
the original emotion. The second
expression is often a smile
Smiling even though one feels
miserable; the smile lets people
know that things are okay or will be
okay even though you’re in distress
Mask Don’t show what one truly feels and
instead show something else
altogether
Smiling even though one is entirely
angry at something or someone
Simulate Display an emotion even though one
is not felt at all
Feigning that one is angry or happy
or sad when one is not

15. • Most Asian countries
(China), have been
classified as primarily
noncontact cultures.
• United States is
classified as a
moderately immediate
culture.

16. Expressive Cultures
• Its easier for people to
judge those from Reserved
cultures as
• Untrustworthy
• Inscrutable
• Sly
• Shifty
Reserved Cultures
• Its easier for people to
judge those from Expressive
cultures as
• Arrogant
• Loud
• Rude
• Immature
• Vulgar

17. Video

18. What did he say?

19. Video

20. What did she say?

21. Key to Success

22. Credibility
• Is a set of perceptions
about a person’s levels
of competence and
characteristics
• They have high levels of
• Expertise
• Authority
• Status
• They are perceived to
be trustworthy and
having intergrity
Delivery
• Slow down your speech
• Short sentences
• Avoid complex
grammar or slang
• Speak clearly and
include pauses to give
time to process
information
• Do Not Patronize
Attentiveness
• High levels of eye
contact
• Vocal variety
• Facial expressiveness
that correlates with
active listerning
• Listen without judging
• Respect differences
Trustworthiness

23. You
Try
IT