Vocabulary

Acculturation is the process of social, psychological, and cultural change that occurs as a result of blending between cultures

Bilingualism refers to the ability to understand and produce two or more languages on a regular basis

Contact hypothesis is a method used to reduce prejudice and help people create closer connections with members of different groups

Cultural frame switching refers to the process of bicultural or multicultural individuals accessing different culture-specific mental modules

Cultural code switching involves changing from one way of speaking to another between or within interactions and includes changes verbal and non-verbal communication

Culture shock is a common experience describing feelings of confusion, stress and disorientation that occur when entering an unfamiliar culture

Cultural reaffirmation is a phenomenon that occurs when multicultural individuals living in multicultural societies endorse even more traditional values than persons from the native country or monoculture individuals

Identity denial occurs when individuals are NOT accepted as a member of the group that he/she identifies with

Stereotype threat is a “situational threat” in which individuals are aware of others’ negative expectations, which leads to their fear that they will be judged and/or treated as inferior