Airman Leadership School, Set A
UPDATED Questions and CORRECT
Answers
Culture - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Culture is a shared set of traditions, belief systems, and
behaviors and is shaped by many factors, including history, religion, politics, and resources
(financial, informational, technological, material, energy, warfare, and human).
Macro-cultures - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- The most powerful or the most widely
practiced cultures in a particular society, whether the society is a region or an entire country.
Micro-cultures - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Also called "subcultures." They are described as
a group of people living within a larger society who share values, beliefs, behaviors, status, or
interests that are different from the macro-culture or the rest of society
Holism - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- All the parts of a culture are interconnected and
integrated. Therefore, things such as change in one area will affect change in another area
Schema - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- A cognitive "shortcut" that helps us organize and
interpret the vast amount of information that exists in our environment.
Iceberg theory of culture - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- When we first enter a new culture, we
see only those behaviors and symbols that are apparent. Things like a culture's style of dress,
music, games, dance, food, toys, etc. are easily seen when entering a new culture.
According to the iceberg theroy. What is below the surface? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔-
Some examples of behaviors, core beliefs, and values that are often "hidden" under the
surface include: Ideals of governing, child raising, concept of justice, incentives to work,
theory of disease, nature of friendship, patterns of group decision making, definitions of sin,
courtship practices, and approaches to problem solving
The sum of beliefs and values that people use to define and interpret the world, and their
place within it - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Worldview
,The "ability to quickly and accurately comprehend, and then effectively act in a culturally
complex environment to achieve the desired effect without necessarily having prior exposure
to a particular group, region, or language. - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Cross-Cultural
Competence (3C)
What two categories does the Air Force break
Cross-Cultural Competence into? - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Culture General and Culture
Specific
Culture General - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- The ability to quickly and accurately
comprehend, and then effectively act in a culturally complex environment to achieve the
desired effect without necessarily having prior exposure to a particular group, region, or
language.
Culture Specific - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Emphasizes specific aspects of particular
cultures, affording individuals much of the knowledge and/or skills necessary to interact
more competently with individuals of other cultural backgrounds."
What is the purpose of culture-general learning in the Air Force? - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔- To develop Airmen who can operate effectively in culturally complex
environments
What are the three inter-related enabling factors involved with the 3C model? - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔- Knowledge, motivation (positive attitude), and learning approaches.
Culture-general knowledge - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- The basis for all cross-cultural
learning, including culture-specific, and begins with an understanding of basic concepts of a
culture (kinship, gender roles, types of exchanges or communication norms, etc.).
Ethnocentrism - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- The human tendency to negatively judge others
(cultures, behaviors, values) against our own values and beliefs
The conviction that the beliefs and practices of others are best understood in light of the
particular cultures where they are found. - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Relativism (as an
attitude)
,Temporarily suspending one's own culturally informed opinion and thinking about how
others might interpret or value a situation. - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Relativism (as a
behavior)
What are three specific skills that emerge as key to successful cross-cultural interactions are -
CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- • Communicate to avoid misunderstandings;
• Negotiate to overcome differences and resolve conflicts; and
• Relate with individuals from other cultures to work effectively
Cultural Perspective Taking - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- A cognitive process by which an
individual is able to identify the thoughts and/or feelings of another culture.
Leaders at every level can develop cultural perspective taking by recognizing - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔- - Needs and values of individuals/groups from another culture
- Local norms, values, beliefs, and behaviors
- How people from another culture will respond to one's own actions/comments
- The importance of norms for interaction
- How violating cultural norms can negatively impact interactions
- The impact of positive cross cultural relations
Two concepts help to maintain motivation - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Relativism - (As an
attitude), Relativism - (As a behavior)
Stereotypes - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- A fixed or distorted generalization about all
members of a particular group that share a particular diversity.
The creation of an adverse or unreasonable opinion about a person or group without gathering
all the facts and is usually based on deeply held beliefs. - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔-
Prejudice
, The visible act or consideration to act in favor of or against a person or thing based on the
group, class, or category to which that person/thing belongs, rather than on individual merit. -
CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Discrimination
The OODA Loop - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Observe, Orient, Decide, Act
Observe - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Focused attention on your environment and gathering
information through all five senses.
Orient - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Make sense of what we are observing by categorizing
(organizing) the data in a practical way that is useful to us.
Decide - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Consider all the courses of action developed and choose
one to move forward with based on our options and understanding of the situation
Act - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Review what you have decided to do, take action, and then
reflect on how you executed your decision.
Cross-Cultural Communication - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- The knowledge, motivation,
and skills to interact effectively and appropriately with members of different cultures
Linguistic Competence - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- A speaker's implicit, internalized
knowledge of the rules of their native language.
Communication Competence - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Understanding how to properly
communicate in another language or culture
What is the most important factor for a person to be effective in a foreign culture. -
CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Communication skills
Impression Management - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Deliberate and motivated self
presentation