Cross-cultural gesture confusion occurs because:

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Question: Cross-cultural gesture confusion occurs because:

Option a: Gestures are universal
- This is misleading because it would imply that all gestures mean the same thing everywhere, which would reduce confusion rather than create it. In reality, gestures vary across cultures, so assuming universality is incorrect.

Option b: Gestures carry no meaning
- This is false because gestures do convey meaning, values, and intentions within a culture. Saying they carry no meaning ignores the communicative role of nonverbal cues in human interaction.

Option c: Gestures are culturally constructed
- This option captures the core idea: different cultures develop and attach different meanings to gestures. What is considered polite, rude, or expressive can change from one culture to another, leading to cross-cultural confusion when people interpret gestures through their own cultural lens.

Option d: Gestures have fixed meanings
- This statement ignores cultural variation and historical change. Many gestures do not have fixed, universal meanings; meanings can shift over time or differ by social group, which contributes to cross-cultural misunderstandings.

Overall, the reasoning supports that gestures are culturally constructed, leading to confusion when crossing cultural boundaries and interpreting others’ nonverbal signals through a different cultural framework.

25_4 SO101 Revision Quiz

Cross-cultural gesture confusion occurs because:

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