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In their 2001 publication The psychology of culture shock, Ward, Bochner and Furnham identified three major theoretical approaches to the study of intercultural contact and change. Termed the ABCs of Acculturation,(i) the stress and coping framework,(ii) the culture learning approach and (iii) the social identification perspective were taken to highlight the respective importance of Affect, Behavior and Cognition in the acculturation process (Figure 5.1). A developmental dimension has more recently been incorporated into this volume’s comprehensive analysis of international theory and research on acculturation and adaptation.

This chapter examines behavioral dimensions of acculturation, elaborating the culture learning approach to acculturation, outlining its history and development, introducing the concepts of communication competence and sociocultural adaptation, and reviewing empirical research on their antecedents, correlates, consequences and temporal variations. The chapter also features contemporary theory and research on a relatively neglected, but important, area in acculturation research–language learning. We conclude with an overall evaluation of the culture learning approach and its contribution to the international literature on acculturation.