2.1: Cultural bias in psychology Flashcards
Discuss cultural bias in psychology.
Refer to examples of research in your answer (16 marks)
Cultural bias refers to a tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all phenomena through the ‘lens’ of one’s own culture
Discuss cultural bias in psychology.
Refer to examples of research in your answer (16 marks).
Cultural bias refers to a tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all phenomena through the ‘lens’ of one’s own culture.
Ethnocentrism is a form of cultural bias and is judging other cultures by the standards and values of one’s own culture.
It its extreme form, it is the belief in the superiority of own’s own culture, which may lead to prejudice and discrimination towards other cultures
Discuss cultural bias in psychology.
Refer to examples of research in your answer (16 marks).
Cultural bias refers to a tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all phenomena through the ‘lens’ of one’s own culture.
Ethnocentrism is a form of cultural bias and is judging other cultures by the standards and values of one’s own culture.
It its extreme form, it is the belief in the superiority of own’s own culture, which may lead to prejudice and discrimination towards other cultures.
Cultural relativism is the idea that norms and values, as well as ethnics and moral standards, can only be meaningful and understood within specific social and cultural contexts
Discuss cultural bias in psychology.
Refer to examples of research in your answer (16 marks).
Cultural bias refers to a tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all phenomena through the ‘lens’ of one’s own culture.
Ethnocentrism is a form of cultural bias and is judging other cultures by the standards and values of one’s own culture.
It its extreme form, it is the belief in the superiority of own’s own culture, which may lead to prejudice and discrimination towards other cultures.
Cultural relativism is the idea that norms and values, as well as ethnics and moral standards, can only be meaningful and understood within specific social and cultural contexts.
Despite having restricted their enquiries to particular parts of the world, many psychologists routinely claim to have discovered ‘facts’ about human behaviour that are ‘universal.’
Many argue that in reality, findings from studies only apply to the particular groups of people who were studied
Discuss cultural bias in psychology.
Refer to examples of research in your answer (16 marks).
Cultural bias refers to a tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all phenomena through the ‘lens’ of one’s own culture.
Ethnocentrism is a form of cultural bias and is judging other cultures by the standards and values of one’s own culture.
It its extreme form, it is the belief in the superiority of own’s own culture, which may lead to prejudice and discrimination towards other cultures.
Cultural relativism is the idea that norms and values, as well as ethnics and moral standards, can only be meaningful and understood within specific social and cultural contexts.
Despite having restricted their enquiries to particular parts of the world, many psychologists routinely claim to have discovered ‘facts’ about human behaviour that are ‘universal.’
Many argue that in reality, findings from studies only apply to the particular groups of people who were studied.
John Berry (1969) has drawn a distinction between etic and emic approaches in the study of human behaviour. An etic approach looks at behaviour from outside of a given culture and attempts to describe those behaviours that are universal. An emic approach functions from within or inside certain cultures and identifies behaviours that are specific to that culture
Discuss cultural bias in psychology.
Refer to examples of research in your answer (16 marks).
Cultural bias refers to a tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all phenomena through the ‘lens’ of one’s own culture.
Ethnocentrism is a form of cultural bias and is judging other cultures by the standards and values of one’s own culture.
It its extreme form, it is the belief in the superiority of own’s own culture, which may lead to prejudice and discrimination towards other cultures.
Cultural relativism is the idea that norms and values, as well as ethnics and moral standards, can only be meaningful and understood within specific social and cultural contexts.
Despite having restricted their enquiries to particular parts of the world, many psychologists routinely claim to have discovered ‘facts’ about human behaviour that are ‘universal.’
Many argue that in reality, findings from studies only apply to the particular groups of people who were studied.
John Berry (1969) has drawn a distinction between etic and emic approaches in the study of human behaviour.
An etic approach looks at behaviour from outside of a given culture and attempts to describe those behaviours that are universal.
An emic approach functions from within or inside certain cultures and identifies behaviours that are specific to that culture.
First AO3 PEEL paragraph
The first AO3 PEEL paragraph is that there is research support for cultural bias
Discuss cultural bias in psychology.
Refer to examples of research in your answer (16 marks).
Cultural bias refers to a tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all phenomena through the ‘lens’ of one’s own culture.
Ethnocentrism is a form of cultural bias and is judging other cultures by the standards and values of one’s own culture.
It its extreme form, it is the belief in the superiority of own’s own culture, which may lead to prejudice and discrimination towards other cultures.
Cultural relativism is the idea that norms and values, as well as ethnics and moral standards, can only be meaningful and understood within specific social and cultural contexts.
Despite having restricted their enquiries to particular parts of the world, many psychologists routinely claim to have discovered ‘facts’ about human behaviour that are ‘universal.’
Many argue that in reality, findings from studies only apply to the particular groups of people who were studied.
John Berry (1969) has drawn a distinction between etic and emic approaches in the study of human behaviour.
An etic approach looks at behaviour from outside of a given culture and attempts to describe those behaviours that are universal.
An emic approach functions from within or inside certain cultures and identifies behaviours that are specific to that culture.
The first AO3 PEEL paragraph is that there is research support for cultural bias.
Example
For example, Cochrane and Sashidharan (1995) found that African-Caribbean immigrants are 7 times more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness.
This finding and others like it have led many to question the validity of DSM and ICD (the diagnostic manuals of mental illness used in the US and Europe) for diagnosing individuals who are born outside of the dominant culture.
To counter this, DSM-4 included in its appendix a list of 25 culture-bound syndromes (CBSs), which are groups of symptoms classified as treatable illnesses in certain cultures that are not recognised as such in the West.
For example, koro, which is the belief that the penis is retracting into the body (China)
Discuss cultural bias in psychology.
Refer to examples of research in your answer (16 marks).
Cultural bias refers to a tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all phenomena through the ‘lens’ of one’s own culture.
Ethnocentrism is a form of cultural bias and is judging other cultures by the standards and values of one’s own culture.
It its extreme form, it is the belief in the superiority of own’s own culture, which may lead to prejudice and discrimination towards other cultures.
Cultural relativism is the idea that norms and values, as well as ethnics and moral standards, can only be meaningful and understood within specific social and cultural contexts.
Despite having restricted their enquiries to particular parts of the world, many psychologists routinely claim to have discovered ‘facts’ about human behaviour that are ‘universal.’
Many argue that in reality, findings from studies only apply to the particular groups of people who were studied.
John Berry (1969) has drawn a distinction between etic and emic approaches in the study of human behaviour.
An etic approach looks at behaviour from outside of a given culture and attempts to describe those behaviours that are universal.
An emic approach functions from within or inside certain cultures and identifies behaviours that are specific to that culture.
The first AO3 PEEL paragraph is that there is research support for cultural bias.
For example, Cochrane and Sashidharan (1995) found that African-Caribbean immigrants are 7 times more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness.
This finding and others like it have led many to question the validity of DSM and ICD (the diagnostic manuals of mental illness used in the US and Europe) for diagnosing individuals who are born outside of the dominant culture.
To counter this, DSM-4 included in its appendix a list of 25 culture-bound syndromes (CBSs), which are groups of symptoms classified as treatable illnesses in certain cultures that are not recognised as such in the West.
For example, koro, which is the belief that the penis is retracting into the body (China).
The very existence of CBSs suggests that DSM and ICD were ethnocentric and that ‘mental illness’ is not a universally agreed concept, which shows that cultural bias is an issue in psychological research
Discuss cultural bias in psychology.
Refer to examples of research in your answer (16 marks).
Cultural bias refers to a tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all phenomena through the ‘lens’ of one’s own culture.
Ethnocentrism is a form of cultural bias and is judging other cultures by the standards and values of one’s own culture.
It its extreme form, it is the belief in the superiority of own’s own culture, which may lead to prejudice and discrimination towards other cultures.
Cultural relativism is the idea that norms and values, as well as ethnics and moral standards, can only be meaningful and understood within specific social and cultural contexts.
Despite having restricted their enquiries to particular parts of the world, many psychologists routinely claim to have discovered ‘facts’ about human behaviour that are ‘universal.’
Many argue that in reality, findings from studies only apply to the particular groups of people who were studied.
John Berry (1969) has drawn a distinction between etic and emic approaches in the study of human behaviour.
An etic approach looks at behaviour from outside of a given culture and attempts to describe those behaviours that are universal.
An emic approach functions from within or inside certain cultures and identifies behaviours that are specific to that culture.
The first AO3 PEEL paragraph is that there is research support for cultural bias.
For example, Cochrane and Sashidharan (1995) found that African-Caribbean immigrants are 7 times more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness.
This finding and others like it have led many to question the validity of DSM and ICD (the diagnostic manuals of mental illness used in the US and Europe) for diagnosing individuals who are born outside of the dominant culture.
To counter this, DSM-4 included in its appendix a list of 25 culture-bound syndromes (CBSs), which are groups of symptoms classified as treatable illnesses in certain cultures that are not recognised as such in the West.
For example, koro, which is the belief that the penis is retracting into the body (China).
The very existence of CBSs suggests that DSM and ICD were ethnocentric and that ‘mental illness’ is not a universally agreed concept, which shows that cultural bias is an issue in psychological research.
Who is this further supported by?
This is further supported by Richard Brislin (1976), who argues that demonstrations of intelligence in Western culture often involves competing tasks ‘against the clock’ such as in timed assessments like exams.
Despite this, the Baganda people of Uganda characterise intelligence as slow, careful and deliberate thought (Wober, 1974), so they might view ‘speed of thought’ as thoughtlessness
Discuss cultural bias in psychology.
Refer to examples of research in your answer (16 marks).
Cultural bias refers to a tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all phenomena through the ‘lens’ of one’s own culture.
Ethnocentrism is a form of cultural bias and is judging other cultures by the standards and values of one’s own culture.
It its extreme form, it is the belief in the superiority of own’s own culture, which may lead to prejudice and discrimination towards other cultures.
Cultural relativism is the idea that norms and values, as well as ethnics and moral standards, can only be meaningful and understood within specific social and cultural contexts.
Despite having restricted their enquiries to particular parts of the world, many psychologists routinely claim to have discovered ‘facts’ about human behaviour that are ‘universal.’
Many argue that in reality, findings from studies only apply to the particular groups of people who were studied.
John Berry (1969) has drawn a distinction between etic and emic approaches in the study of human behaviour.
An etic approach looks at behaviour from outside of a given culture and attempts to describe those behaviours that are universal.
An emic approach functions from within or inside certain cultures and identifies behaviours that are specific to that culture.
The first AO3 PEEL paragraph is that there is research support for cultural bias.
For example, Cochrane and Sashidharan (1995) found that African-Caribbean immigrants are 7 times more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness.
This finding and others like it have led many to question the validity of DSM and ICD (the diagnostic manuals of mental illness used in the US and Europe) for diagnosing individuals who are born outside of the dominant culture.
To counter this, DSM-4 included in its appendix a list of 25 culture-bound syndromes (CBSs), which are groups of symptoms classified as treatable illnesses in certain cultures that are not recognised as such in the West.
For example, koro, which is the belief that the penis is retracting into the body (China).
The very existence of CBSs suggests that DSM and ICD were ethnocentric and that ‘mental illness’ is not a universally agreed concept, which shows that cultural bias is an issue in psychological research.
This is further supported by Richard Brislin (1976), who argues that demonstrations of intelligence in Western culture often involves competing tasks ‘against the clock’ such as in timed assessments like exams.
Despite this, the Baganda people of Uganda characterise intelligence as slow, careful and deliberate thought (Wober, 1974), so they might view ‘speed of thought’ as thoughtlessness.
What does this highlight?
This highlights ethnocentrism and imposed etic
Discuss cultural bias in psychology.
Refer to examples of research in your answer (16 marks).
Cultural bias refers to a tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all phenomena through the ‘lens’ of one’s own culture.
Ethnocentrism is a form of cultural bias and is judging other cultures by the standards and values of one’s own culture.
It its extreme form, it is the belief in the superiority of own’s own culture, which may lead to prejudice and discrimination towards other cultures.
Cultural relativism is the idea that norms and values, as well as ethnics and moral standards, can only be meaningful and understood within specific social and cultural contexts.
Despite having restricted their enquiries to particular parts of the world, many psychologists routinely claim to have discovered ‘facts’ about human behaviour that are ‘universal.’
Many argue that in reality, findings from studies only apply to the particular groups of people who were studied.
John Berry (1969) has drawn a distinction between etic and emic approaches in the study of human behaviour.
An etic approach looks at behaviour from outside of a given culture and attempts to describe those behaviours that are universal.
An emic approach functions from within or inside certain cultures and identifies behaviours that are specific to that culture.
The first AO3 PEEL paragraph is that there is research support for cultural bias.
For example, Cochrane and Sashidharan (1995) found that African-Caribbean immigrants are 7 times more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness.
This finding and others like it have led many to question the validity of DSM and ICD (the diagnostic manuals of mental illness used in the US and Europe) for diagnosing individuals who are born outside of the dominant culture.
To counter this, DSM-4 included in its appendix a list of 25 culture-bound syndromes (CBSs), which are groups of symptoms classified as treatable illnesses in certain cultures that are not recognised as such in the West.
For example, koro, which is the belief that the penis is retracting into the body (China).
The very existence of CBSs suggests that DSM and ICD were ethnocentric and that ‘mental illness’ is not a universally agreed concept, which shows that cultural bias is an issue in psychological research.
This is further supported by Richard Brislin (1976), who argues that demonstrations of intelligence in Western culture often involves competing tasks ‘against the clock’ such as in timed assessments like exams.
Despite this, the Baganda people of Uganda characterise intelligence as slow, careful and deliberate thought (Wober, 1974), so they might view ‘speed of thought’ as thoughtlessness.
This highlights ethnocentrism and imposed etic.
Second AO3 PEEL paragraph
The second AO3 PEEL paragraph is that However, often in the past when psychologists have made reference to ‘culture’ they have done so within the context of the individualist-collectivist distinction
Discuss cultural bias in psychology.
Refer to examples of research in your answer (16 marks).
Cultural bias refers to a tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all phenomena through the ‘lens’ of one’s own culture.
Ethnocentrism is a form of cultural bias and is judging other cultures by the standards and values of one’s own culture.
It its extreme form, it is the belief in the superiority of own’s own culture, which may lead to prejudice and discrimination towards other cultures.
Cultural relativism is the idea that norms and values, as well as ethnics and moral standards, can only be meaningful and understood within specific social and cultural contexts.
Despite having restricted their enquiries to particular parts of the world, many psychologists routinely claim to have discovered ‘facts’ about human behaviour that are ‘universal.’
Many argue that in reality, findings from studies only apply to the particular groups of people who were studied.
John Berry (1969) has drawn a distinction between etic and emic approaches in the study of human behaviour.
An etic approach looks at behaviour from outside of a given culture and attempts to describe those behaviours that are universal.
An emic approach functions from within or inside certain cultures and identifies behaviours that are specific to that culture.
The first AO3 PEEL paragraph is that there is research support for cultural bias.
For example, Cochrane and Sashidharan (1995) found that African-Caribbean immigrants are 7 times more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness.
This finding and others like it have led many to question the validity of DSM and ICD (the diagnostic manuals of mental illness used in the US and Europe) for diagnosing individuals who are born outside of the dominant culture.
To counter this, DSM-4 included in its appendix a list of 25 culture-bound syndromes (CBSs), which are groups of symptoms classified as treatable illnesses in certain cultures that are not recognised as such in the West.
For example, koro, which is the belief that the penis is retracting into the body (China).
The very existence of CBSs suggests that DSM and ICD were ethnocentric and that ‘mental illness’ is not a universally agreed concept, which shows that cultural bias is an issue in psychological research.
This is further supported by Richard Brislin (1976), who argues that demonstrations of intelligence in Western culture often involves competing tasks ‘against the clock’ such as in timed assessments like exams.
Despite this, the Baganda people of Uganda characterise intelligence as slow, careful and deliberate thought (Wober, 1974), so they might view ‘speed of thought’ as thoughtlessness.
This highlights ethnocentrism and imposed etic.
The second AO3 PEEL paragraph is that However, often in the past when psychologists have made reference to ‘culture’ they have done so within the context of the individualist-collectivist distinction.
Individualist culture is associated with Western countries like the US who are thought to value personal freedom and independence and collectivist cultures such as India and China are said to place more emphasis on interdependence and the needs of the group
Discuss cultural bias in psychology.
Refer to examples of research in your answer (16 marks).
Cultural bias refers to a tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all phenomena through the ‘lens’ of one’s own culture.
Ethnocentrism is a form of cultural bias and is judging other cultures by the standards and values of one’s own culture.
It its extreme form, it is the belief in the superiority of own’s own culture, which may lead to prejudice and discrimination towards other cultures.
Cultural relativism is the idea that norms and values, as well as ethnics and moral standards, can only be meaningful and understood within specific social and cultural contexts.
Despite having restricted their enquiries to particular parts of the world, many psychologists routinely claim to have discovered ‘facts’ about human behaviour that are ‘universal.’
Many argue that in reality, findings from studies only apply to the particular groups of people who were studied.
John Berry (1969) has drawn a distinction between etic and emic approaches in the study of human behaviour.
An etic approach looks at behaviour from outside of a given culture and attempts to describe those behaviours that are universal.
An emic approach functions from within or inside certain cultures and identifies behaviours that are specific to that culture.
The first AO3 PEEL paragraph is that there is research support for cultural bias.
For example, Cochrane and Sashidharan (1995) found that African-Caribbean immigrants are 7 times more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness.
This finding and others like it have led many to question the validity of DSM and ICD (the diagnostic manuals of mental illness used in the US and Europe) for diagnosing individuals who are born outside of the dominant culture.
To counter this, DSM-4 included in its appendix a list of 25 culture-bound syndromes (CBSs), which are groups of symptoms classified as treatable illnesses in certain cultures that are not recognised as such in the West.
For example, koro, which is the belief that the penis is retracting into the body (China).
The very existence of CBSs suggests that DSM and ICD were ethnocentric and that ‘mental illness’ is not a universally agreed concept, which shows that cultural bias is an issue in psychological research.
This is further supported by Richard Brislin (1976), who argues that demonstrations of intelligence in Western culture often involves competing tasks ‘against the clock’ such as in timed assessments like exams.
Despite this, the Baganda people of Uganda characterise intelligence as slow, careful and deliberate thought (Wober, 1974), so they might view ‘speed of thought’ as thoughtlessness.
This highlights ethnocentrism and imposed etic.
The second AO3 PEEL paragraph is that However, often in the past when psychologists have made reference to ‘culture’ they have done so within the context of the individualist-collectivist distinction.
Individualist culture is associated with Western countries like the US who are thought to value personal freedom and independence and collectivist cultures such as India and China are said to place more emphasis on interdependence and the needs of the group.
Nevertheless, what have critics suggested?
Nevertheless, critics have suggested that in this age of global communication and increased interconnectedness such a ‘lazy’ and simplistic distinction between cultures no longer applies
Discuss cultural bias in psychology.
Refer to examples of research in your answer (16 marks).
Cultural bias refers to a tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all phenomena through the ‘lens’ of one’s own culture.
Ethnocentrism is a form of cultural bias and is judging other cultures by the standards and values of one’s own culture.
It its extreme form, it is the belief in the superiority of own’s own culture, which may lead to prejudice and discrimination towards other cultures.
Cultural relativism is the idea that norms and values, as well as ethnics and moral standards, can only be meaningful and understood within specific social and cultural contexts.
Despite having restricted their enquiries to particular parts of the world, many psychologists routinely claim to have discovered ‘facts’ about human behaviour that are ‘universal.’
Many argue that in reality, findings from studies only apply to the particular groups of people who were studied.
John Berry (1969) has drawn a distinction between etic and emic approaches in the study of human behaviour.
An etic approach looks at behaviour from outside of a given culture and attempts to describe those behaviours that are universal.
An emic approach functions from within or inside certain cultures and identifies behaviours that are specific to that culture.
The first AO3 PEEL paragraph is that there is research support for cultural bias.
For example, Cochrane and Sashidharan (1995) found that African-Caribbean immigrants are 7 times more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness.
This finding and others like it have led many to question the validity of DSM and ICD (the diagnostic manuals of mental illness used in the US and Europe) for diagnosing individuals who are born outside of the dominant culture.
To counter this, DSM-4 included in its appendix a list of 25 culture-bound syndromes (CBSs), which are groups of symptoms classified as treatable illnesses in certain cultures that are not recognised as such in the West.
For example, koro, which is the belief that the penis is retracting into the body (China).
The very existence of CBSs suggests that DSM and ICD were ethnocentric and that ‘mental illness’ is not a universally agreed concept, which shows that cultural bias is an issue in psychological research.
This is further supported by Richard Brislin (1976), who argues that demonstrations of intelligence in Western culture often involves competing tasks ‘against the clock’ such as in timed assessments like exams.
Despite this, the Baganda people of Uganda characterise intelligence as slow, careful and deliberate thought (Wober, 1974), so they might view ‘speed of thought’ as thoughtlessness.
This highlights ethnocentrism and imposed etic.
The second AO3 PEEL paragraph is that However, often in the past when psychologists have made reference to ‘culture’ they have done so within the context of the individualist-collectivist distinction.
Individualist culture is associated with Western countries like the US who are thought to value personal freedom and independence and collectivist cultures such as India and China are said to place more emphasis on interdependence and the needs of the group.
Nevertheless, critics have suggested that in this age of global communication and increased interconnectedness such a ‘lazy’ and simplistic distinction between cultures no longer applies.
Who is this supported by?
This is supported by Takano and Osaka (1999), who found that 14 out of 15 studies that compared the USA and Japan found no evidence of the traditional distinction between individualism and collectivism
Discuss cultural bias in psychology.
Refer to examples of research in your answer (16 marks).
Cultural bias refers to a tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all phenomena through the ‘lens’ of one’s own culture.
Ethnocentrism is a form of cultural bias and is judging other cultures by the standards and values of one’s own culture.
It its extreme form, it is the belief in the superiority of own’s own culture, which may lead to prejudice and discrimination towards other cultures.
Cultural relativism is the idea that norms and values, as well as ethnics and moral standards, can only be meaningful and understood within specific social and cultural contexts.
Despite having restricted their enquiries to particular parts of the world, many psychologists routinely claim to have discovered ‘facts’ about human behaviour that are ‘universal.’
Many argue that in reality, findings from studies only apply to the particular groups of people who were studied.
John Berry (1969) has drawn a distinction between etic and emic approaches in the study of human behaviour.
An etic approach looks at behaviour from outside of a given culture and attempts to describe those behaviours that are universal.
An emic approach functions from within or inside certain cultures and identifies behaviours that are specific to that culture.
The first AO3 PEEL paragraph is that there is research support for cultural bias.
For example, Cochrane and Sashidharan (1995) found that African-Caribbean immigrants are 7 times more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness.
This finding and others like it have led many to question the validity of DSM and ICD (the diagnostic manuals of mental illness used in the US and Europe) for diagnosing individuals who are born outside of the dominant culture.
To counter this, DSM-4 included in its appendix a list of 25 culture-bound syndromes (CBSs), which are groups of symptoms classified as treatable illnesses in certain cultures that are not recognised as such in the West.
For example, koro, which is the belief that the penis is retracting into the body (China).
The very existence of CBSs suggests that DSM and ICD were ethnocentric and that ‘mental illness’ is not a universally agreed concept, which shows that cultural bias is an issue in psychological research.
This is further supported by Richard Brislin (1976), who argues that demonstrations of intelligence in Western culture often involves competing tasks ‘against the clock’ such as in timed assessments like exams.
Despite this, the Baganda people of Uganda characterise intelligence as slow, careful and deliberate thought (Wober, 1974), so they might view ‘speed of thought’ as thoughtlessness.
This highlights ethnocentrism and imposed etic.
The second AO3 PEEL paragraph is that However, often in the past when psychologists have made reference to ‘culture’ they have done so within the context of the individualist-collectivist distinction.
Individualist culture is associated with Western countries like the US who are thought to value personal freedom and independence and collectivist cultures such as India and China are said to place more emphasis on interdependence and the needs of the group.
Nevertheless, critics have suggested that in this age of global communication and increased interconnectedness such a ‘lazy’ and simplistic distinction between cultures no longer applies.
This is supported by Takano and Osaka (1999), who found that 14 out of 15 studies that compared the USA and Japan found no evidence of the traditional distinction between individualism and collectivism.
What could this perhaps suggest?
This could perhaps suggest that cultural bias in psychological research is less of an issue than it once was
Discuss cultural bias in psychology.
Refer to examples of research in your answer (16 marks).
Cultural bias refers to a tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all phenomena through the ‘lens’ of one’s own culture.
Ethnocentrism is a form of cultural bias and is judging other cultures by the standards and values of one’s own culture.
It its extreme form, it is the belief in the superiority of own’s own culture, which may lead to prejudice and discrimination towards other cultures.
Cultural relativism is the idea that norms and values, as well as ethnics and moral standards, can only be meaningful and understood within specific social and cultural contexts.
Despite having restricted their enquiries to particular parts of the world, many psychologists routinely claim to have discovered ‘facts’ about human behaviour that are ‘universal.’
Many argue that in reality, findings from studies only apply to the particular groups of people who were studied.
John Berry (1969) has drawn a distinction between etic and emic approaches in the study of human behaviour.
An etic approach looks at behaviour from outside of a given culture and attempts to describe those behaviours that are universal.
An emic approach functions from within or inside certain cultures and identifies behaviours that are specific to that culture.
The first AO3 PEEL paragraph is that there is research support for cultural bias.
For example, Cochrane and Sashidharan (1995) found that African-Caribbean immigrants are 7 times more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness.
This finding and others like it have led many to question the validity of DSM and ICD (the diagnostic manuals of mental illness used in the US and Europe) for diagnosing individuals who are born outside of the dominant culture.
To counter this, DSM-4 included in its appendix a list of 25 culture-bound syndromes (CBSs), which are groups of symptoms classified as treatable illnesses in certain cultures that are not recognised as such in the West.
For example, koro, which is the belief that the penis is retracting into the body (China).
The very existence of CBSs suggests that DSM and ICD were ethnocentric and that ‘mental illness’ is not a universally agreed concept, which shows that cultural bias is an issue in psychological research.
This is further supported by Richard Brislin (1976), who argues that demonstrations of intelligence in Western culture often involves competing tasks ‘against the clock’ such as in timed assessments like exams.
Despite this, the Baganda people of Uganda characterise intelligence as slow, careful and deliberate thought (Wober, 1974), so they might view ‘speed of thought’ as thoughtlessness.
This highlights ethnocentrism and imposed etic.
The second AO3 PEEL paragraph is that However, often in the past when psychologists have made reference to ‘culture’ they have done so within the context of the individualist-collectivist distinction.
Individualist culture is associated with Western countries like the US who are thought to value personal freedom and independence and collectivist cultures such as India and China are said to place more emphasis on interdependence and the needs of the group.
Nevertheless, critics have suggested that in this age of global communication and increased interconnectedness such a ‘lazy’ and simplistic distinction between cultures no longer applies.
This is supported by Takano and Osaka (1999), who found that 14 out of 15 studies that compared the USA and Japan found no evidence of the traditional distinction between individualism and collectivism.
This could perhaps suggest that cultural bias in psychological research is less of an issue than it once was.
Third AO3 PEEL paragraph
The third AO3 PEEL paragraph is that Berry’s concept of imposed etic is a useful reminder to psychologists of the culturally specific nature of their work
Discuss cultural bias in psychology.
Refer to examples of research in your answer (16 marks).
Cultural bias refers to a tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all phenomena through the ‘lens’ of one’s own culture.
Ethnocentrism is a form of cultural bias and is judging other cultures by the standards and values of one’s own culture.
It its extreme form, it is the belief in the superiority of own’s own culture, which may lead to prejudice and discrimination towards other cultures.
Cultural relativism is the idea that norms and values, as well as ethnics and moral standards, can only be meaningful and understood within specific social and cultural contexts.
Despite having restricted their enquiries to particular parts of the world, many psychologists routinely claim to have discovered ‘facts’ about human behaviour that are ‘universal.’
Many argue that in reality, findings from studies only apply to the particular groups of people who were studied.
John Berry (1969) has drawn a distinction between etic and emic approaches in the study of human behaviour.
An etic approach looks at behaviour from outside of a given culture and attempts to describe those behaviours that are universal.
An emic approach functions from within or inside certain cultures and identifies behaviours that are specific to that culture.
The first AO3 PEEL paragraph is that there is research support for cultural bias.
For example, Cochrane and Sashidharan (1995) found that African-Caribbean immigrants are 7 times more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness.
This finding and others like it have led many to question the validity of DSM and ICD (the diagnostic manuals of mental illness used in the US and Europe) for diagnosing individuals who are born outside of the dominant culture.
To counter this, DSM-4 included in its appendix a list of 25 culture-bound syndromes (CBSs), which are groups of symptoms classified as treatable illnesses in certain cultures that are not recognised as such in the West.
For example, koro, which is the belief that the penis is retracting into the body (China).
The very existence of CBSs suggests that DSM and ICD were ethnocentric and that ‘mental illness’ is not a universally agreed concept, which shows that cultural bias is an issue in psychological research.
This is further supported by Richard Brislin (1976), who argues that demonstrations of intelligence in Western culture often involves competing tasks ‘against the clock’ such as in timed assessments like exams.
Despite this, the Baganda people of Uganda characterise intelligence as slow, careful and deliberate thought (Wober, 1974), so they might view ‘speed of thought’ as thoughtlessness.
This highlights ethnocentrism and imposed etic.
The second AO3 PEEL paragraph is that However, often in the past when psychologists have made reference to ‘culture’ they have done so within the context of the individualist-collectivist distinction.
Individualist culture is associated with Western countries like the US who are thought to value personal freedom and independence and collectivist cultures such as India and China are said to place more emphasis on interdependence and the needs of the group.
Nevertheless, critics have suggested that in this age of global communication and increased interconnectedness such a ‘lazy’ and simplistic distinction between cultures no longer applies.
This is supported by Takano and Osaka (1999), who found that 14 out of 15 studies that compared the USA and Japan found no evidence of the traditional distinction between individualism and collectivism.
This could perhaps suggest that cultural bias in psychological research is less of an issue than it once was.
The third AO3 PEEL paragraph is that Berry’s concept of imposed etic is a useful reminder to psychologists of the culturally specific nature of their work.
However, it should not be assumed that all psychology is culturally relative and that there is no such thing as universal human behaviour.
Research, for example that by Ekman (1989), suggests that basic facial expressions for emotions (such as happiness or disgust) are the same all over the human and animal world.
Some features of human attachment, such as interactional synchrony and imitation, are also universal
Discuss cultural bias in psychology.
Refer to examples of research in your answer (16 marks).
Cultural bias refers to a tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all phenomena through the ‘lens’ of one’s own culture.
Ethnocentrism is a form of cultural bias and is judging other cultures by the standards and values of one’s own culture.
It its extreme form, it is the belief in the superiority of own’s own culture, which may lead to prejudice and discrimination towards other cultures.
Cultural relativism is the idea that norms and values, as well as ethnics and moral standards, can only be meaningful and understood within specific social and cultural contexts.
Despite having restricted their enquiries to particular parts of the world, many psychologists routinely claim to have discovered ‘facts’ about human behaviour that are ‘universal.’
Many argue that in reality, findings from studies only apply to the particular groups of people who were studied.
John Berry (1969) has drawn a distinction between etic and emic approaches in the study of human behaviour.
An etic approach looks at behaviour from outside of a given culture and attempts to describe those behaviours that are universal.
An emic approach functions from within or inside certain cultures and identifies behaviours that are specific to that culture.
The first AO3 PEEL paragraph is that there is research support for cultural bias.
For example, Cochrane and Sashidharan (1995) found that African-Caribbean immigrants are 7 times more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness.
This finding and others like it have led many to question the validity of DSM and ICD (the diagnostic manuals of mental illness used in the US and Europe) for diagnosing individuals who are born outside of the dominant culture.
To counter this, DSM-4 included in its appendix a list of 25 culture-bound syndromes (CBSs), which are groups of symptoms classified as treatable illnesses in certain cultures that are not recognised as such in the West.
For example, koro, which is the belief that the penis is retracting into the body (China).
The very existence of CBSs suggests that DSM and ICD were ethnocentric and that ‘mental illness’ is not a universally agreed concept, which shows that cultural bias is an issue in psychological research.
This is further supported by Richard Brislin (1976), who argues that demonstrations of intelligence in Western culture often involves competing tasks ‘against the clock’ such as in timed assessments like exams.
Despite this, the Baganda people of Uganda characterise intelligence as slow, careful and deliberate thought (Wober, 1974), so they might view ‘speed of thought’ as thoughtlessness.
This highlights ethnocentrism and imposed etic.
The second AO3 PEEL paragraph is that However, often in the past when psychologists have made reference to ‘culture’ they have done so within the context of the individualist-collectivist distinction.
Individualist culture is associated with Western countries like the US who are thought to value personal freedom and independence and collectivist cultures such as India and China are said to place more emphasis on interdependence and the needs of the group.
Nevertheless, critics have suggested that in this age of global communication and increased interconnectedness such a ‘lazy’ and simplistic distinction between cultures no longer applies.
This is supported by Takano and Osaka (1999), who found that 14 out of 15 studies that compared the USA and Japan found no evidence of the traditional distinction between individualism and collectivism.
This could perhaps suggest that cultural bias in psychological research is less of an issue than it once was.
The third AO3 PEEL paragraph is that Berry’s concept of imposed etic is a useful reminder to psychologists of the culturally specific nature of their work.
However, it should not be assumed that all psychology is culturally relative and that there is no such thing as universal human behaviour.
Research, for example that by Ekman (1989), suggests that basic facial expressions for emotions (such as happiness or disgust) are the same all over the human and animal world.
Some features of human attachment, such as interactional synchrony and imitation, are also universal.
Why does this matter?
This matters because a full understanding of human behaviour requires the study of both universals and variation among individuals and groups
Discuss cultural bias in psychology.
Refer to examples of research in your answer (16 marks).
Cultural bias refers to a tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all phenomena through the ‘lens’ of one’s own culture.
Ethnocentrism is a form of cultural bias and is judging other cultures by the standards and values of one’s own culture.
It its extreme form, it is the belief in the superiority of own’s own culture, which may lead to prejudice and discrimination towards other cultures.
Cultural relativism is the idea that norms and values, as well as ethnics and moral standards, can only be meaningful and understood within specific social and cultural contexts.
Despite having restricted their enquiries to particular parts of the world, many psychologists routinely claim to have discovered ‘facts’ about human behaviour that are ‘universal.’
Many argue that in reality, findings from studies only apply to the particular groups of people who were studied.
John Berry (1969) has drawn a distinction between etic and emic approaches in the study of human behaviour.
An etic approach looks at behaviour from outside of a given culture and attempts to describe those behaviours that are universal.
An emic approach functions from within or inside certain cultures and identifies behaviours that are specific to that culture.
The first AO3 PEEL paragraph is that there is research support for cultural bias.
For example, Cochrane and Sashidharan (1995) found that African-Caribbean immigrants are 7 times more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness.
This finding and others like it have led many to question the validity of DSM and ICD (the diagnostic manuals of mental illness used in the US and Europe) for diagnosing individuals who are born outside of the dominant culture.
To counter this, DSM-4 included in its appendix a list of 25 culture-bound syndromes (CBSs), which are groups of symptoms classified as treatable illnesses in certain cultures that are not recognised as such in the West.
For example, koro, which is the belief that the penis is retracting into the body (China).
The very existence of CBSs suggests that DSM and ICD were ethnocentric and that ‘mental illness’ is not a universally agreed concept, which shows that cultural bias is an issue in psychological research.
This is further supported by Richard Brislin (1976), who argues that demonstrations of intelligence in Western culture often involves competing tasks ‘against the clock’ such as in timed assessments like exams.
Despite this, the Baganda people of Uganda characterise intelligence as slow, careful and deliberate thought (Wober, 1974), so they might view ‘speed of thought’ as thoughtlessness.
This highlights ethnocentrism and imposed etic.
The second AO3 PEEL paragraph is that However, often in the past when psychologists have made reference to ‘culture’ they have done so within the context of the individualist-collectivist distinction.
Individualist culture is associated with Western countries like the US who are thought to value personal freedom and independence and collectivist cultures such as India and China are said to place more emphasis on interdependence and the needs of the group.
Nevertheless, critics have suggested that in this age of global communication and increased interconnectedness such a ‘lazy’ and simplistic distinction between cultures no longer applies.
This is supported by Takano and Osaka (1999), who found that 14 out of 15 studies that compared the USA and Japan found no evidence of the traditional distinction between individualism and collectivism.
This could perhaps suggest that cultural bias in psychological research is less of an issue than it once was.
The third AO3 PEEL paragraph is that Berry’s concept of imposed etic is a useful reminder to psychologists of the culturally specific nature of their work.
However, it should not be assumed that all psychology is culturally relative and that there is no such thing as universal human behaviour.
Research, for example that by Ekman (1989), suggests that basic facial expressions for emotions (such as happiness or disgust) are the same all over the human and animal world.
Some features of human attachment, such as interactional synchrony and imitation, are also universal.
This matters because a full understanding of human behaviour requires the study of both universals and variation among individuals and groups.
Fourth AO3 PEEL paragraph
The fourth AO3 PEEL paragraph is that a limitation of conducting research in different cultures is that the variables under review may not be experienced in the same way by all participants
Discuss cultural bias in psychology.
Refer to examples of research in your answer (16 marks).
Cultural bias refers to a tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all phenomena through the ‘lens’ of one’s own culture.
Ethnocentrism is a form of cultural bias and is judging other cultures by the standards and values of one’s own culture.
It its extreme form, it is the belief in the superiority of own’s own culture, which may lead to prejudice and discrimination towards other cultures.
Cultural relativism is the idea that norms and values, as well as ethnics and moral standards, can only be meaningful and understood within specific social and cultural contexts.
Despite having restricted their enquiries to particular parts of the world, many psychologists routinely claim to have discovered ‘facts’ about human behaviour that are ‘universal.’
Many argue that in reality, findings from studies only apply to the particular groups of people who were studied.
John Berry (1969) has drawn a distinction between etic and emic approaches in the study of human behaviour.
An etic approach looks at behaviour from outside of a given culture and attempts to describe those behaviours that are universal.
An emic approach functions from within or inside certain cultures and identifies behaviours that are specific to that culture.
The first AO3 PEEL paragraph is that there is research support for cultural bias.
For example, Cochrane and Sashidharan (1995) found that African-Caribbean immigrants are 7 times more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness.
This finding and others like it have led many to question the validity of DSM and ICD (the diagnostic manuals of mental illness used in the US and Europe) for diagnosing individuals who are born outside of the dominant culture.
To counter this, DSM-4 included in its appendix a list of 25 culture-bound syndromes (CBSs), which are groups of symptoms classified as treatable illnesses in certain cultures that are not recognised as such in the West.
For example, koro, which is the belief that the penis is retracting into the body (China).
The very existence of CBSs suggests that DSM and ICD were ethnocentric and that ‘mental illness’ is not a universally agreed concept, which shows that cultural bias is an issue in psychological research.
This is further supported by Richard Brislin (1976), who argues that demonstrations of intelligence in Western culture often involves competing tasks ‘against the clock’ such as in timed assessments like exams.
Despite this, the Baganda people of Uganda characterise intelligence as slow, careful and deliberate thought (Wober, 1974), so they might view ‘speed of thought’ as thoughtlessness.
This highlights ethnocentrism and imposed etic.
The second AO3 PEEL paragraph is that However, often in the past when psychologists have made reference to ‘culture’ they have done so within the context of the individualist-collectivist distinction.
Individualist culture is associated with Western countries like the US who are thought to value personal freedom and independence and collectivist cultures such as India and China are said to place more emphasis on interdependence and the needs of the group.
Nevertheless, critics have suggested that in this age of global communication and increased interconnectedness such a ‘lazy’ and simplistic distinction between cultures no longer applies.
This is supported by Takano and Osaka (1999), who found that 14 out of 15 studies that compared the USA and Japan found no evidence of the traditional distinction between individualism and collectivism.
This could perhaps suggest that cultural bias in psychological research is less of an issue than it once was.
The third AO3 PEEL paragraph is that Berry’s concept of imposed etic is a useful reminder to psychologists of the culturally specific nature of their work.
However, it should not be assumed that all psychology is culturally relative and that there is no such thing as universal human behaviour.
Research, for example that by Ekman (1989), suggests that basic facial expressions for emotions (such as happiness or disgust) are the same all over the human and animal world.
Some features of human attachment, such as interactional synchrony and imitation, are also universal.
This matters because a full understanding of human behaviour requires the study of both universals and variation among individuals and groups.
The fourth AO3 PEEL paragraph is that a limitation of conducting research in different cultures is that the variables under review may not be experienced in the same way by all participants.
Example
For example, the behavioural expression of emotions such as aggression may give rise to different behaviours within an indigenous population than they would in the West
Discuss cultural bias in psychology.
Refer to examples of research in your answer (16 marks).
Cultural bias refers to a tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all phenomena through the ‘lens’ of one’s own culture.
Ethnocentrism is a form of cultural bias and is judging other cultures by the standards and values of one’s own culture.
It its extreme form, it is the belief in the superiority of own’s own culture, which may lead to prejudice and discrimination towards other cultures.
Cultural relativism is the idea that norms and values, as well as ethnics and moral standards, can only be meaningful and understood within specific social and cultural contexts.
Despite having restricted their enquiries to particular parts of the world, many psychologists routinely claim to have discovered ‘facts’ about human behaviour that are ‘universal.’
Many argue that in reality, findings from studies only apply to the particular groups of people who were studied.
John Berry (1969) has drawn a distinction between etic and emic approaches in the study of human behaviour.
An etic approach looks at behaviour from outside of a given culture and attempts to describe those behaviours that are universal.
An emic approach functions from within or inside certain cultures and identifies behaviours that are specific to that culture.
The first AO3 PEEL paragraph is that there is research support for cultural bias.
For example, Cochrane and Sashidharan (1995) found that African-Caribbean immigrants are 7 times more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness.
This finding and others like it have led many to question the validity of DSM and ICD (the diagnostic manuals of mental illness used in the US and Europe) for diagnosing individuals who are born outside of the dominant culture.
To counter this, DSM-4 included in its appendix a list of 25 culture-bound syndromes (CBSs), which are groups of symptoms classified as treatable illnesses in certain cultures that are not recognised as such in the West.
For example, koro, which is the belief that the penis is retracting into the body (China).
The very existence of CBSs suggests that DSM and ICD were ethnocentric and that ‘mental illness’ is not a universally agreed concept, which shows that cultural bias is an issue in psychological research.
This is further supported by Richard Brislin (1976), who argues that demonstrations of intelligence in Western culture often involves competing tasks ‘against the clock’ such as in timed assessments like exams.
Despite this, the Baganda people of Uganda characterise intelligence as slow, careful and deliberate thought (Wober, 1974), so they might view ‘speed of thought’ as thoughtlessness.
This highlights ethnocentrism and imposed etic.
The second AO3 PEEL paragraph is that However, often in the past when psychologists have made reference to ‘culture’ they have done so within the context of the individualist-collectivist distinction.
Individualist culture is associated with Western countries like the US who are thought to value personal freedom and independence and collectivist cultures such as India and China are said to place more emphasis on interdependence and the needs of the group.
Nevertheless, critics have suggested that in this age of global communication and increased interconnectedness such a ‘lazy’ and simplistic distinction between cultures no longer applies.
This is supported by Takano and Osaka (1999), who found that 14 out of 15 studies that compared the USA and Japan found no evidence of the traditional distinction between individualism and collectivism.
This could perhaps suggest that cultural bias in psychological research is less of an issue than it once was.
The third AO3 PEEL paragraph is that Berry’s concept of imposed etic is a useful reminder to psychologists of the culturally specific nature of their work.
However, it should not be assumed that all psychology is culturally relative and that there is no such thing as universal human behaviour.
Research, for example that by Ekman (1989), suggests that basic facial expressions for emotions (such as happiness or disgust) are the same all over the human and animal world.
Some features of human attachment, such as interactional synchrony and imitation, are also universal.
This matters because a full understanding of human behaviour requires the study of both universals and variation among individuals and groups.
The fourth AO3 PEEL paragraph is that a limitation of conducting research in different cultures is that the variables under review may not be experienced in the same way by all participants.
For example, the behavioural expression of emotions such as aggression may give rise to different behaviours within an indigenous population than they would in the West.
In China, the invasion of personal space is seen as normal, whereas in the West, this may be seen as threatening or confrontational
Discuss cultural bias in psychology.
Refer to examples of research in your answer (16 marks).
Cultural bias refers to a tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all phenomena through the ‘lens’ of one’s own culture.
Ethnocentrism is a form of cultural bias and is judging other cultures by the standards and values of one’s own culture.
It its extreme form, it is the belief in the superiority of own’s own culture, which may lead to prejudice and discrimination towards other cultures.
Cultural relativism is the idea that norms and values, as well as ethnics and moral standards, can only be meaningful and understood within specific social and cultural contexts.
Despite having restricted their enquiries to particular parts of the world, many psychologists routinely claim to have discovered ‘facts’ about human behaviour that are ‘universal.’
Many argue that in reality, findings from studies only apply to the particular groups of people who were studied.
John Berry (1969) has drawn a distinction between etic and emic approaches in the study of human behaviour.
An etic approach looks at behaviour from outside of a given culture and attempts to describe those behaviours that are universal.
An emic approach functions from within or inside certain cultures and identifies behaviours that are specific to that culture.
The first AO3 PEEL paragraph is that there is research support for cultural bias.
For example, Cochrane and Sashidharan (1995) found that African-Caribbean immigrants are 7 times more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness.
This finding and others like it have led many to question the validity of DSM and ICD (the diagnostic manuals of mental illness used in the US and Europe) for diagnosing individuals who are born outside of the dominant culture.
To counter this, DSM-4 included in its appendix a list of 25 culture-bound syndromes (CBSs), which are groups of symptoms classified as treatable illnesses in certain cultures that are not recognised as such in the West.
For example, koro, which is the belief that the penis is retracting into the body (China).
The very existence of CBSs suggests that DSM and ICD were ethnocentric and that ‘mental illness’ is not a universally agreed concept, which shows that cultural bias is an issue in psychological research.
This is further supported by Richard Brislin (1976), who argues that demonstrations of intelligence in Western culture often involves competing tasks ‘against the clock’ such as in timed assessments like exams.
Despite this, the Baganda people of Uganda characterise intelligence as slow, careful and deliberate thought (Wober, 1974), so they might view ‘speed of thought’ as thoughtlessness.
This highlights ethnocentrism and imposed etic.
The second AO3 PEEL paragraph is that However, often in the past when psychologists have made reference to ‘culture’ they have done so within the context of the individualist-collectivist distinction.
Individualist culture is associated with Western countries like the US who are thought to value personal freedom and independence and collectivist cultures such as India and China are said to place more emphasis on interdependence and the needs of the group.
Nevertheless, critics have suggested that in this age of global communication and increased interconnectedness such a ‘lazy’ and simplistic distinction between cultures no longer applies.
This is supported by Takano and Osaka (1999), who found that 14 out of 15 studies that compared the USA and Japan found no evidence of the traditional distinction between individualism and collectivism.
This could perhaps suggest that cultural bias in psychological research is less of an issue than it once was.
The third AO3 PEEL paragraph is that Berry’s concept of imposed etic is a useful reminder to psychologists of the culturally specific nature of their work.
However, it should not be assumed that all psychology is culturally relative and that there is no such thing as universal human behaviour.
Research, for example that by Ekman (1989), suggests that basic facial expressions for emotions (such as happiness or disgust) are the same all over the human and animal world.
Some features of human attachment, such as interactional synchrony and imitation, are also universal.
This matters because a full understanding of human behaviour requires the study of both universals and variation among individuals and groups.
The fourth AO3 PEEL paragraph is that a limitation of conducting research in different cultures is that the variables under review may not be experienced in the same way by all participants.
For example, the behavioural expression of emotions such as aggression may give rise to different behaviours within an indigenous population than they would in the West.
In China, the invasion of personal space is seen as normal, whereas in the West, this may be seen as threatening or confrontational.
Issues like these
Issues like these may affect interactions between the researcher and participants or between Western and non-Western participants in cross-cultural studies
Discuss cultural bias in psychology.
Refer to examples of research in your answer (16 marks).
Cultural bias refers to a tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all phenomena through the ‘lens’ of one’s own culture.
Ethnocentrism is a form of cultural bias and is judging other cultures by the standards and values of one’s own culture.
It its extreme form, it is the belief in the superiority of own’s own culture, which may lead to prejudice and discrimination towards other cultures.
Cultural relativism is the idea that norms and values, as well as ethnics and moral standards, can only be meaningful and understood within specific social and cultural contexts.
Despite having restricted their enquiries to particular parts of the world, many psychologists routinely claim to have discovered ‘facts’ about human behaviour that are ‘universal.’
Many argue that in reality, findings from studies only apply to the particular groups of people who were studied.
John Berry (1969) has drawn a distinction between etic and emic approaches in the study of human behaviour.
An etic approach looks at behaviour from outside of a given culture and attempts to describe those behaviours that are universal.
An emic approach functions from within or inside certain cultures and identifies behaviours that are specific to that culture.
The first AO3 PEEL paragraph is that there is research support for cultural bias.
For example, Cochrane and Sashidharan (1995) found that African-Caribbean immigrants are 7 times more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness.
This finding and others like it have led many to question the validity of DSM and ICD (the diagnostic manuals of mental illness used in the US and Europe) for diagnosing individuals who are born outside of the dominant culture.
To counter this, DSM-4 included in its appendix a list of 25 culture-bound syndromes (CBSs), which are groups of symptoms classified as treatable illnesses in certain cultures that are not recognised as such in the West.
For example, koro, which is the belief that the penis is retracting into the body (China).
The very existence of CBSs suggests that DSM and ICD were ethnocentric and that ‘mental illness’ is not a universally agreed concept, which shows that cultural bias is an issue in psychological research.
This is further supported by Richard Brislin (1976), who argues that demonstrations of intelligence in Western culture often involves competing tasks ‘against the clock’ such as in timed assessments like exams.
Despite this, the Baganda people of Uganda characterise intelligence as slow, careful and deliberate thought (Wober, 1974), so they might view ‘speed of thought’ as thoughtlessness.
This highlights ethnocentrism and imposed etic.
The second AO3 PEEL paragraph is that However, often in the past when psychologists have made reference to ‘culture’ they have done so within the context of the individualist-collectivist distinction.
Individualist culture is associated with Western countries like the US who are thought to value personal freedom and independence and collectivist cultures such as India and China are said to place more emphasis on interdependence and the needs of the group.
Nevertheless, critics have suggested that in this age of global communication and increased interconnectedness such a ‘lazy’ and simplistic distinction between cultures no longer applies.
This is supported by Takano and Osaka (1999), who found that 14 out of 15 studies that compared the USA and Japan found no evidence of the traditional distinction between individualism and collectivism.
This could perhaps suggest that cultural bias in psychological research is less of an issue than it once was.
The third AO3 PEEL paragraph is that Berry’s concept of imposed etic is a useful reminder to psychologists of the culturally specific nature of their work.
However, it should not be assumed that all psychology is culturally relative and that there is no such thing as universal human behaviour.
Research, for example that by Ekman (1989), suggests that basic facial expressions for emotions (such as happiness or disgust) are the same all over the human and animal world.
Some features of human attachment, such as interactional synchrony and imitation, are also universal.
This matters because a full understanding of human behaviour requires the study of both universals and variation among individuals and groups.
The fourth AO3 PEEL paragraph is that a limitation of conducting research in different cultures is that the variables under review may not be experienced in the same way by all participants.
For example, the behavioural expression of emotions such as aggression may give rise to different behaviours within an indigenous population than they would in the West.
In China, the invasion of personal space is seen as normal, whereas in the West, this may be seen as threatening or confrontational.
Issues like these may affect interactions between the researcher and participants or between Western and non-Western participants in cross-cultural studies.
Despite this, what is one of the great benefits of conducting cross-cultural research?
Despite this, one of the great benefits of conducting cross-cultural research is that it may challenge our typically Western ways of thinking and viewing the world
Discuss cultural bias in psychology.
Refer to examples of research in your answer (16 marks).
Cultural bias refers to a tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all phenomena through the ‘lens’ of one’s own culture.
Ethnocentrism is a form of cultural bias and is judging other cultures by the standards and values of one’s own culture.
It its extreme form, it is the belief in the superiority of own’s own culture, which may lead to prejudice and discrimination towards other cultures.
Cultural relativism is the idea that norms and values, as well as ethnics and moral standards, can only be meaningful and understood within specific social and cultural contexts.
Despite having restricted their enquiries to particular parts of the world, many psychologists routinely claim to have discovered ‘facts’ about human behaviour that are ‘universal.’
Many argue that in reality, findings from studies only apply to the particular groups of people who were studied.
John Berry (1969) has drawn a distinction between etic and emic approaches in the study of human behaviour.
An etic approach looks at behaviour from outside of a given culture and attempts to describe those behaviours that are universal.
An emic approach functions from within or inside certain cultures and identifies behaviours that are specific to that culture.
The first AO3 PEEL paragraph is that there is research support for cultural bias.
For example, Cochrane and Sashidharan (1995) found that African-Caribbean immigrants are 7 times more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness.
This finding and others like it have led many to question the validity of DSM and ICD (the diagnostic manuals of mental illness used in the US and Europe) for diagnosing individuals who are born outside of the dominant culture.
To counter this, DSM-4 included in its appendix a list of 25 culture-bound syndromes (CBSs), which are groups of symptoms classified as treatable illnesses in certain cultures that are not recognised as such in the West.
For example, koro, which is the belief that the penis is retracting into the body (China).
The very existence of CBSs suggests that DSM and ICD were ethnocentric and that ‘mental illness’ is not a universally agreed concept, which shows that cultural bias is an issue in psychological research.
This is further supported by Richard Brislin (1976), who argues that demonstrations of intelligence in Western culture often involves competing tasks ‘against the clock’ such as in timed assessments like exams.
Despite this, the Baganda people of Uganda characterise intelligence as slow, careful and deliberate thought (Wober, 1974), so they might view ‘speed of thought’ as thoughtlessness.
This highlights ethnocentrism and imposed etic.
The second AO3 PEEL paragraph is that However, often in the past when psychologists have made reference to ‘culture’ they have done so within the context of the individualist-collectivist distinction.
Individualist culture is associated with Western countries like the US who are thought to value personal freedom and independence and collectivist cultures such as India and China are said to place more emphasis on interdependence and the needs of the group.
Nevertheless, critics have suggested that in this age of global communication and increased interconnectedness such a ‘lazy’ and simplistic distinction between cultures no longer applies.
This is supported by Takano and Osaka (1999), who found that 14 out of 15 studies that compared the USA and Japan found no evidence of the traditional distinction between individualism and collectivism.
This could perhaps suggest that cultural bias in psychological research is less of an issue than it once was.
The third AO3 PEEL paragraph is that Berry’s concept of imposed etic is a useful reminder to psychologists of the culturally specific nature of their work.
However, it should not be assumed that all psychology is culturally relative and that there is no such thing as universal human behaviour.
Research, for example that by Ekman (1989), suggests that basic facial expressions for emotions (such as happiness or disgust) are the same all over the human and animal world.
Some features of human attachment, such as interactional synchrony and imitation, are also universal.
This matters because a full understanding of human behaviour requires the study of both universals and variation among individuals and groups.
The fourth AO3 PEEL paragraph is that a limitation of conducting research in different cultures is that the variables under review may not be experienced in the same way by all participants.
For example, the behavioural expression of emotions such as aggression may give rise to different behaviours within an indigenous population than they would in the West.
In China, the invasion of personal space is seen as normal, whereas in the West, this may be seen as threatening or confrontational.
Issues like these may affect interactions between the researcher and participants or between Western and non-Western participants in cross-cultural studies.
Despite this, one of the great benefits of conducting cross-cultural research is that it may challenge our typically Western ways of thinking and viewing the world.
Being able to see
Being able to see that some of the knowledge and concepts we take for granted are not shared by other people around the world may promote a greater sensitivity to individual difference and cultural relativism in the future
Discuss cultural bias in psychology.
Refer to examples of research in your answer (16 marks).
Cultural bias refers to a tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all phenomena through the ‘lens’ of one’s own culture.
Ethnocentrism is a form of cultural bias and is judging other cultures by the standards and values of one’s own culture.
It its extreme form, it is the belief in the superiority of own’s own culture, which may lead to prejudice and discrimination towards other cultures.
Cultural relativism is the idea that norms and values, as well as ethnics and moral standards, can only be meaningful and understood within specific social and cultural contexts.
Despite having restricted their enquiries to particular parts of the world, many psychologists routinely claim to have discovered ‘facts’ about human behaviour that are ‘universal.’
Many argue that in reality, findings from studies only apply to the particular groups of people who were studied.
John Berry (1969) has drawn a distinction between etic and emic approaches in the study of human behaviour.
An etic approach looks at behaviour from outside of a given culture and attempts to describe those behaviours that are universal.
An emic approach functions from within or inside certain cultures and identifies behaviours that are specific to that culture.
The first AO3 PEEL paragraph is that there is research support for cultural bias.
For example, Cochrane and Sashidharan (1995) found that African-Caribbean immigrants are 7 times more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness.
This finding and others like it have led many to question the validity of DSM and ICD (the diagnostic manuals of mental illness used in the US and Europe) for diagnosing individuals who are born outside of the dominant culture.
To counter this, DSM-4 included in its appendix a list of 25 culture-bound syndromes (CBSs), which are groups of symptoms classified as treatable illnesses in certain cultures that are not recognised as such in the West.
For example, koro, which is the belief that the penis is retracting into the body (China).
The very existence of CBSs suggests that DSM and ICD were ethnocentric and that ‘mental illness’ is not a universally agreed concept, which shows that cultural bias is an issue in psychological research.
This is further supported by Richard Brislin (1976), who argues that demonstrations of intelligence in Western culture often involves competing tasks ‘against the clock’ such as in timed assessments like exams.
Despite this, the Baganda people of Uganda characterise intelligence as slow, careful and deliberate thought (Wober, 1974), so they might view ‘speed of thought’ as thoughtlessness.
This highlights ethnocentrism and imposed etic.
The second AO3 PEEL paragraph is that However, often in the past when psychologists have made reference to ‘culture’ they have done so within the context of the individualist-collectivist distinction.
Individualist culture is associated with Western countries like the US who are thought to value personal freedom and independence and collectivist cultures such as India and China are said to place more emphasis on interdependence and the needs of the group.
Nevertheless, critics have suggested that in this age of global communication and increased interconnectedness such a ‘lazy’ and simplistic distinction between cultures no longer applies.
This is supported by Takano and Osaka (1999), who found that 14 out of 15 studies that compared the USA and Japan found no evidence of the traditional distinction between individualism and collectivism.
This could perhaps suggest that cultural bias in psychological research is less of an issue than it once was.
The third AO3 PEEL paragraph is that Berry’s concept of imposed etic is a useful reminder to psychologists of the culturally specific nature of their work.
However, it should not be assumed that all psychology is culturally relative and that there is no such thing as universal human behaviour.
Research, for example that by Ekman (1989), suggests that basic facial expressions for emotions (such as happiness or disgust) are the same all over the human and animal world.
Some features of human attachment, such as interactional synchrony and imitation, are also universal.
This matters because a full understanding of human behaviour requires the study of both universals and variation among individuals and groups.
The fourth AO3 PEEL paragraph is that a limitation of conducting research in different cultures is that the variables under review may not be experienced in the same way by all participants.
For example, the behavioural expression of emotions such as aggression may give rise to different behaviours within an indigenous population than they would in the West.
In China, the invasion of personal space is seen as normal, whereas in the West, this may be seen as threatening or confrontational.
Issues like these may affect interactions between the researcher and participants or between Western and non-Western participants in cross-cultural studies.
Despite this, one of the great benefits of conducting cross-cultural research is that it may challenge our typically Western ways of thinking and viewing the world.
Being able to see that some of the knowledge and concepts we take for granted are not shared by other people around the world may promote a greater sensitivity to individual difference and cultural relativism in the future.
This
This not only counters the charge of ‘scientific racism’ that has been made against some psychological theories in the past, but also means that the conclusions psychologists draw are likely to have more validity if they include recognition of the role of culture in bringing them about
