Personal Report of Intercultural Communication Apprehension (PRICA)

Abstract

The Personal Report of Intercultural Communication Apprehension (PRICA) is a highly specialized psychometric scale developed by communication scholars James W. Neuliep and James C. McCroskey in 1997. It is designed specifically to quantify an individual’s dispositional anxiety and fear related to communicating with people from distinct cultural backgrounds. Unlike generalized measures of social anxiety, the PRICA focuses exclusively on the communicative challenges presented by cultural differences.

This self-report instrument assesses the degree to which an individual feels comfortable, tense, or nervous during cross-cultural interactions, encompassing both dyadic conversations and group settings. The PRICA is foundational in the field of Intercultural Communication research, providing a reliable metric for identifying individuals prone to communicative avoidance or distress in diverse social and professional environments due to high levels of Communication Apprehension (CA).

Keywords

PRICA, Personal Report of Intercultural Communication Apprehension, Communication Apprehension, intercultural competence, cross-cultural anxiety, dispositional trait, psychological scales, communication research.

Authors

James W. Neuliep, James C. McCroskey

Purpose

The central purpose of the PRICA scale is to offer a psychometrically sound measure that isolates communication apprehension specifically resulting from perceived cultural differences. By focusing on intercultural interactions, the scale provides a critical diagnostic tool that moves beyond general social anxiety measures to target culture-specific communicative distress.

For researchers, the PRICA is invaluable for investigating the psychological mechanisms that underpin cross-cultural adjustment, conflict resolution, and overall communication effectiveness in diverse settings. For practitioners and educators, the instrument facilitates the identification of students or employees who may benefit from targeted intercultural competence training or intervention programs designed to mitigate anxiety and avoidance behaviors.

Construct

The PRICA measures Intercultural Communication Apprehension, defined as the persistent fear or anxiety associated with either the reality or the anticipation of communication with individuals belonging to cultural groups distinct from one’s own. This construct is understood as a stable, dispositional trait, meaning it represents an enduring characteristic of the individual’s communication personality rather than a temporary emotional state.

This apprehension stems largely from the perceived uncertainty, novelty, and potential for misunderstanding inherent in cross-cultural exchanges. Individuals scoring high on the PRICA are likely to exhibit avoidance behaviors, experience heightened physiological tension, and report negative emotional responses when faced with opportunities for intercultural interaction, impacting their ability to achieve intercultural competence.

Validity

The foundational study published in 1997 established the rigorous Validity of the PRICA through comprehensive psychometric testing. The scale demonstrates strong face validity and content validity, ensuring that the 14 items comprehensively cover the theoretical domain of intercultural communication apprehension.

Construct validity was empirically supported through factor analysis, which confirmed that the items converge onto a single, dominant underlying dimension (unidimensionality). Furthermore, the PRICA scores showed expected correlations with external measures—including general communication anxiety and ethnocentrism—thereby establishing both convergent and discriminant validity relative to related psychological constructs.

Reliability

The PRICA exhibits high Reliability, particularly concerning internal consistency. The original research reported high Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, confirming that the collection of 14 items consistently measures the same latent construct of intercultural communication apprehension.

The stability of the instrument is also supported by subsequent test-retest studies, confirming its utility as an effective measure of an enduring communication dispositional trait. These robust psychometric properties affirm the PRICA’s suitability for rigorous academic research and reliable assessment in applied communication studies.

Factor Analysis

The PRICA scale is characterized by a definitive unidimensional factor structure. Factor analysis conducted during its development confirmed that the variance in item responses is overwhelmingly explained by a single underlying factor: the holistic degree of intercultural communication apprehension experienced by the respondent.

This clear unidimensionality is crucial, as it simplifies the interpretation process, allowing researchers to accurately rely on a single, composite total score to represent the individual’s overall propensity for anxiety regarding cross-cultural interaction, without needing to calculate or interpret sub-factors.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire / Psychometric scale

Format: 14 items utilizing a 5-point Likert scale.

Language Available: Primarily English (original development).

Population Group: Individuals engaged in or likely to engage in intercultural interactions (e.g., college students, employees in diverse organizations).

Age Group: Adolescents and Adults (typically 18+).

Population Details: Applicable to any population where cultural difference is a salient factor in communication exchanges.

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate their level of agreement or disagreement with each statement. Scoring involves reversing positively worded items and summing the responses to yield a total score ranging from 14 to 70.

Keywords

psychological measurement, communication research, anxiety scales, cross-cultural communication, dispositional traits, self-report measures, communication skills assessment.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Information not provided in source)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Information not provided in source)

Correspondence Address: Correspondence regarding the measure can often be directed to James C. McCroskey, whose official website hosts the instrument.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The PRICA scale was developed and published in 1997. It is generally available for use in non-commercial academic research and educational settings without a direct fee, aligning with the typical dissemination practices of James C. McCroskey. The instrument is accessible online for academic review.

The instrument can be found at: http://www.jamescmccroskey.com/measures/prica.htm

Reference’s

• Neuliep, J. W., & McCroskey, J. C. (1997). The development of intercultural and interethnic communication apprehension scales. Communication Research Reports, 14, 385-398.

Items of the Personal Report of Intercultural Communication Apprehension (PRICA)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. Generally, I am comfortable interacting with a group of people from different cultures.

2. I am tense and nervous while interacting with people from different cultures.

3. I like to get involved in group discussion with others who are from different cultures.

4. Engaging in a group discussion with people from different cultures makes me nervous.

5. I am calm and relaxed with interacting with a group of people who are from different cultures.

6. While participating in a conversation with a person from a different culture, I get nervous.

7. I have no fear of speaking up in a conversation with a person from a different culture.

8. Ordinarily I am very tense and nervous in a conversation with person from a different culture.

9. Ordinarily I am very calm and relaxed in conversations with a person from a different culture.

10. While conversing with a person from a different culture, I feel very relaxed.

11. I am afraid to speak up in conversations with a person from a different culture.

12. I face the prospect of interacting with people from different cultures with confidence.

13. My thoughts become confused and jumbled when interacting with people from different cultures.

14. Communicating with people from different cultures makes me feel uncomfortable.

I dislike interacting with people from different cultures.

I enjoy interacting with people from different cultures.

Strongly Disagree = 1; Disagree = 2; are Neutral = 3; Agree = 4; Strongly Agree = 5

Scoring: To compute the PRICA score, complete the following steps:

1. Add the scores for the following items: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, and 12
2. Add the scores for the following items: 2, 4, 6, 8, 11, 13, and 14
3. Complete the following formula: PRICA score = 42 – Total from Step 1 + Total from Step 2.

Scores can range from 14 to 70. Scores below 32 indicate low intercultural CA. Scores above 52 indicate high intercultural CA. Scores ranging between 32 and 52 indicate a moderate level of intercultural CA.