Nonverbal immediacy and cognitive learning: A cross‐cultural investigation

Abstract

The current research was based on data drawn from the cultures of Australia, Finland, and Puerto Rico as well as the dominant United States culture. The direction of the relationship between immediacy and perceived cognitive learning did not differ among the cultures studied (a very positive relationship exists within each culture). However, the magnitude of the relationships varied substantially. The results support the theory that in highly immediate cultures the expectations for immediate teacher behavior are very high and violations of those expectations by being less immediate may be very detrimental to cognitive learning. On the other hand, in less immediate cultures where expectations for immediacy are low, the violation of those expectations by being more immediate may have strong positive effects on cognitive learning.