Integrative Complexity of South-north Korean Correspondences

Abstract

Integrative complexity signifies the complexity of conceptual and cognitive rules that people use in processing information. People with high complexity take diverse approaches in evaluating situations and making decisions, and those with low integrative complexity rely on simplistic and dichotomous reasoning. An integrative complexity coding scheme is used to analyze correspondences exchanged between South and North Korea. Time-series models are used to predict mean levels of integrative complexity in South and North Korea for each half-year period between 1984 and 1994. Results show that trends in South-North Korean relations exert significant influence on integrative complexity levels, and major coordinative events are associated with a decline in complexity in the following half-year period. During presidential elections in South Korea, complexity levels decline in both South and North Korea.