Takashi Nakamura
Niigata University, Japan
Title: Cultural comparison for the action of looking at a mobile phone display focusing on independent/interdependent self
Biography
Biography: Takashi Nakamura
Abstract
This presentation focused on the action of looking at a mobile phone display as a type of nonverbal behavior/communication and compared it cross-culturally. The diversity of nonverbal behavior/communication was considered to be caused by the difference between Western and non-Western cultures. The questionnaire was conducted in three countries (the USA, Hong Kong and Japan), and a total of 309 subjects participated. The participants were required to record their opinions for the action according to the situation with ‘co-present’ familiar persons. The analysis declared that the difference between the USA and Japan was more pronounced as the relationship with the ‘co-present’ person was more intimate. The results of the Hong Kong sample were intermediate between those of the other two countries. The diversity was discussed in terms of independent/interdependent self in the perspective of cultural comparison and of mobile phone usage. The analysis revealed that the action as a form of nonverbal behavior/communication has functioned in human relationships and has been deeply embedded into culture in the mobile phone era.