In this study, the authors examined the relationships between interethnic interaction, intercultural sensitivity and interethnic bridging social capital among students of different ethnicities at aMalaysian public university. Results of the regression analysis on data from 447 self-administered questionnaires revealed that while interethnic interaction and intercultural sensitivity are significantly correlated with interethnic bridging social capital at the bivariate level, only intercultural sensitivity has ad irect relationship and significantly predicts interethnic bridging social capital. The finding underscores the role of intercultural sensitivity on interethnic bridging social capital development through ethnic diversity engagement.

The notion of goodness is implicitly central to the discourse relating to person perception. To date, no empirical research has focused solely upon understanding the notion of goodness and how it’s perceived and discerned in others. Utilizing focus group interviews, this paper explores how people perceive and interpret goodness in collectivist cultures of Malaysia and China. Findings revealed that Malaysian and Chinese participants had somewhat similar notions about goodness. “Concern for others’ welfare” was found to have the most resonance across the two nationalities as a key element in discerning goodness in others. Another category emerging from the findings was labelled as “Goodness a subjective notion” which encapsulated additional interpretations surrounding goodness. Directions for future research are discussed.

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The current study ventured to explore nonverbal behavioral cues associated with the construct of goodness. In a focus-group setting, perceivers from the high-context cultures of Malaysia and China were asked to define goodness and discuss how they interpreted goodness in others. Across all groups (Malaysian and Chinese) a recurring theme consisting of dynamic cues, static cues and paralinguistic cues was frequently cited, with emphasis across the spectrum. The study findings have implications for the areas of nonverbal communication, social judgments, and person perception.

Thin slice studies have demonstrated that quick personality inferences of unknown others can be made fairly accurately. Utilizing focus group interviews, the current study examines thin sliced judgments and perceptions of six leaders in the context of goodness. Findings revealed that perceivers were able to form relatively accurate impressions of some leaders based on brief glimpses of nonverbal footage. Across all groups (Malaysian and Chinese) paralinguistic cues, dynamic cues and static cues were instrumental in the formation of positive perceptions of leaders in the context of goodness. These findings have implications for the areas of nonverbal behaviour, political communication, and personality judgement.