Snap Judgements and Cultural Bias: Developing Intercultural Competence in Customs Officer Education in Norway

This study explores the relationship between customs officer students’ intercultural values, bias awareness and professional confidence in communication and judgement during border control encounters. Drawing on intercultural competence theory, dual-process cognition and naturalistic decision-making, the study investigates whether awareness of cultural biases reduces reliance on first impressions, and whether valuing intercultural competence predicts greater self-awareness and communication confidence. Data were collected through a survey of 91 Norwegian customs students and analysed using correlation and regression methods. The results indicate that while belief in the importance of intercultural competence is associated with greater bias awareness, it does not predict reduced reliance on first impressions or higher communication confidence. Instead, practical field experience emerged as the strongest predictor of confidence. The findings highlight a gap between intercultural values and applied competence, emphasising the need for experiential and reflective training models to bridge awareness and behaviour in customs education.