Testing Anxiety/Uncertainty Management Theory across Hispanic-Non-Hispanic Barriers (2008)

William Gudykunst’s Anxiety and Uncertainty Management Theory seeks to understand the factors that influence the effectiveness of intercultural communication. This study examines AUM theory in the context of Hispanic and Non-Hispanic interaction by assessing levels of anxiety, uncertainty, intercultural interaction confidence and intercultural willingness to communicate experienced by Non-Hispanic students in regards to communicating with Hispanic individuals. Anxiety’s correlation with confidence and willingness to communicate suggests that intercultural communication across Hispanic-Non-Hispanic barriers may be more influenced by emotional factors than cognitive. AUM and Hispanic-Non-Hispanic Barriers, 3 Testing Anxiety/Uncertainty Management Theory across Hispanic-non-Hispanic Barriers Nearly three decades of extensive research by William Gudykunst and his associates has produced valuable insight on the field of intercultural communication in the form o f Anxiety/Uncertainty Management Theory. In a general sense, the theory postulates that management of uncertainty and anxiety in intercultural interactions is necessary for participants to adapt and communicate effectively. While several studies have contributed to the theory’s development since its initial configuration in the 1980s, there is very little research that actually tests the axioms and theorems of AUM within the boundaries of specific intercultural situations and interactions (Hammer & Wiseman, 1998). Furthermore, many of the studies that conduct empirical tests of the theory’s components have tested AUM in terms of intercultural communication in a general sense rather than focusing on communication patterns between specific cultural groups. For example, Ann Neville Miller and Jennifer Samp (2007) conducted a study that tested the predictions of AUM in general intercultural and intracultural settings. They chose to look at AUM from a broad perspective rather than from a lens particular to a specified cultural group or barrier. W iile much of the existing research related to AUM theory parallels this model, a few studies have been devoted to testing the theory in specific intercultural contexts. Many of the studies that test AUM theory’s postulates across specific cultural barriers deal exclusively with communication between cultures in Japan and the United States. Gudykunst himself spent many years studying the factors that influence intercultural communication across Anglo-Asian barriers. For example, Gudykunst, Nishida and Schmidt (1989) investigated the cultural variations in uncertainty reduction as related to the guidelines of AUM between participants in Japan and the United States (1989). This research contributes to the small pool of applications of AUM on specific cultural groups. Substantial research that tests AUM across a diverse range of cultural barriers is needed to discover how AUM applies to a variety of specific intercultural situations. Research is also needed to test whether or not the theory is true for communication across all cultural barriers rather than just a select few. One intercultural context worth investigating in this way involves interaction across Hispanic-Non-Hispanic barriers because of its highly practical value and implications. The Hispanic population in the United States is one of the fastest growing demographics in the country. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Hispanic population in the United States is expected to nearly triple from 46.7 million to 132.8 million between the years 2008-2050 (U.S. Bureau of the Census 2008). By mid-century the U.S. Census Bureau projects that nearly one in three of all U.S. residents will be Hispanic. The rapid growth of the Hispanic population in the U.S. has enormous implications for the importance of understanding communication barriers between Hispanics and Non-Hispanics as logic would indicate that intercultural interactions between the groups will most likely increase in frequency. For this reason, testing AUM theory across Hispanic and Non-Hispanic barriers is a valuable action, as it will produce insight that may be beneficial to the greater understanding of communication between Hispanics and Non-Hispanics. Anxiety/Uncertainty Management Theory (AUM) AUM and Hispanic-Non-Hispanic Barriers, 4