The role of culture bump in developing intercultural communication competency and internationalizing psychology education

Abstract

This article describes the Culture Bump Approach to intercultural training across three separate projects and its impact on the behavior and attitudes of participants in these projects. The authors analyzed participants' self-assessments using Bennett's Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity and found a higher level of positive response than this model would predict, and they discuss this result in terms of culture bump theory. In particular, they highlight the Culture Bump Approach's inclusion of human commonalities and its micro-cultural approach rather than a macrocultural approach. Finally, they explore how the Culture Bump Approach is salient in promoting integration and connectivity in higher education and its importance in teaching psychology at the college and university level.