Theoretical and Empirical Analysis of Hypothesis on Correlation between Cultural Contacts and Cultural Intelligence

Discussions on cultural intelligence construct prepare a powerful theoretical framework for analyzing international issues such as global peace and phenomena in the national level like social and economic development. The authors, in this article, focusing on one issue in this field, have tried to test a hypothesis which assumes cultural contacts can promote cultural intelligence of human beings or social groups. In the text, besides resenting theoretical basics about cultural intelligence and its fourfold dimensions consisting of motivational, cognitive, meta-cognitive and behavioral, the writers have specified a theoretical and empirical framework about the hypothesis on effect of intercultural contacts on cultural intelligence, the structural model was tested. On the basis of the result, the higher the level of intercultural contacts, the higher of cultural intelligence. Data of the survey among 396 sampled cases in the Isfahan city was gathered based on a quota sampling design by age groups, gender and living region of the respondents who had from 20 to 49 years old. Gathering data instruments were standardized scale of cultural intelligence introduced by Ang and Dyne and the scale which was designed by the researcher for measuring intercultural contacts with an acceptable level of accurate measurement. The result showed that intercultural contacts construct has a strong, positive and significant effect on cultural intelligence construct ( ). In a specific situation, Although, intercultural contacts has no effect on promoting cultural intelligence and even can be accompanied with cultural shock but in summation, the probability of positive effect of intercultural contacts on cultural intelligence is higher