The Effects of Culture and Face Concerns on Intention to Apologize: A Comparison of U.S. and China.

Based on Brown and LevinsonÂ’s (1987) politeness theory and Ting-ToomeyÂ’s (1988) face negotiation theory, the current study examined the cultural differences between U.S. and Chinese participants (N = 317) regarding face concerns and apology intention. Participants read vignettes that varied in relationship types (in-group versus out-group members) and situation types (negative face versus positive face threatened) and responded to scales measuring realism of the vignettes, intention to apologize, and five types of face concerns. One of the findings showed that Chinese participants, compared to U.S. participants, had stronger intention to apologize when their act threatened the other personÂ’s positive face, while U.S. participants, compared to Chinese participants, had stronger intention to apologize when their act threatened the other personÂ’s negative face. Other findings and implications of the findings are discussed in more detail in the paper. ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]