HISPANIC ANGLO-AMERICAN DIFFERENCES IN ATTRIBUTIONS TO PARALINGUISTICBEHAVIOR

This article reports a study of attributions made by Hispanics and Ang lo-Americans to paralinguistic behaviors. The study is part of a large -scale program of research on Hispanic-Anglo differences in perception s and interpretations of behavior. Procedures for five stages of data collection for the larger project involving interviews with persons fr om both cultures, observations of interactions, and the use of structu red questionnaires to obtain episodes of cross-cultural interactions a nd attributions to these episodes are summarized. Analyses of the attr ibutional choices made by teachers and pupils of both cultures for ten episodes focusing on paralanguage elements such as tempo (fast-slow), laughing, yelling, and intensity (loudness) are presented. The Hispan ic-Anglo differences found are discussed in terms of their implication s for theory and for cross-cultural training.