Perceptions of intercultural interaction and communication satisfaction: A study on initial encounters

This project explored perceptions of intercultural interactions. Data were collected from U.S. undergraduate students shortly after they had a face–to–face, one–on–one conversation with an international student. A 15–item instrument was used to measure perceptions of the intercultural interaction. Study 1 included a principal components factor analysis and isolated three factors of perceptions of intercultural interaction: synchrony, difficulty, and common ground. Further, these dimensions were used to predict communication satisfaction. In Study 2, the factor structure was replicated and overall perceptions of intercultural interaction were found to be positively correlated with communication satisfaction. When used as predictors of communication satisfaction, the three factors combined to account for 70% of variance.