The Social Cognition of Acculturation: Moderating Role of NCC and Communication Skills

The present study examined the impact of reference group, need for cognitive closure and communication skills on acculturation orientations of Spanish speaking immigrants in Italy and Switzerland. It was found that immigrants with high need for closure were more likely to adopt the host culture when they joined host group within the first three months after arrival. However, people with no host reference group at this time were equally likely to adopt the host culture as immigrants with a host reference group when they are characterized by a low need for cognitive closure. Thus, the present study successfully replicated previous studies (Kosic, Kruglanski, Arie, Pierro, & Mannetti, 2004) demonstrating the moderating impact of need for cognitive closure on the relation between the reference group and acculturation strategies. In extension of these findings, the present study showed the importance of communication skills. It was found that the reference group at time of arrival affected the contact to the host community at following stages of the acculturation process when people had insufficient communication skills at time of arrival, but not when they had good communication skills initially.