Describe the four factors that specifically affect the development of intercultural friendships. Think about your own experiences, and describe a situation which reflects at least one of these factors.

What will be an ideal response?

- Cultural similarities exist across cultures, creating common ground that nurtures the development of friendship for example, sharing the same passion for soccer as someone from Brazil or a love of anime with someone from Japan.
- Cultural differences can actually heighten interest in the other person and prompt initial conversations. You might seek more information from someone from another culture about how their nonverbal communication code differs from yours, or about the holidays they observe and how they celebrate them.
- Prior intercultural experiences help reduce uncertainty about developing friendships with people from other cultures and serve as the foundation for new friendships. Of course, this factor can be somewhat unilateral, in that you might have experience with the other person's culture, but not vice versa.
- Targeted socializing occurs as partners move from acquaintanceship to friendship, socializing within the specific cultural or intercultural context of one of the partners, such as an American student attending a Chinese New Year's party with a Chinese classmate.
- Student examples will vary, but should demonstrate an understanding of one or more factors discussed above.