1.4 Research methodology applied

Since the present research consists of both theoretical exploration and empirical validation，multiple research methods are employed.In the theoretical part，the historical review，critical analyses，and theorizing are based on interdisciplinary bibliographic data and empirical research published at home and abroad.Both deductive and inductive reasoning are employed in the arguments.

In the empirical part，to understand the role of contextual cues in culture’s effect on communication，the priming method derived by experimental psychology is employed.Priming is originally used to tap the implicit memory effect in which exposure to a stimulus influences response to a later stimulus.In culture-related experimental research，culture priming exposes perceivers to images that are associated with the construct of interest with the expectation that the construct becomes more likely to guide subsequent processing.This method will be elaborated in the two experimental studies reported in Chapters 7and 8.The priming effect is computed using statistical techniques such as chi-square tests，T-tests，one-way ANOVA，and n-way ANOVA.A form of case analysis is conducted in the final stage of the model testing.