Chapter 4 Flashcards
Ethnography
Contain rich descriptions of a culture, or a particular situation or group of people within a culture, derived from extensive observation and interaction by an anthropologist.
What are some ways to learn about a culture you want to study?
Ethnography, find a collaborator from that culture, immerse yourself in that culture
Methodological equivalence
For researchers to make meaningful comparisons across cultures, participants must understand the questions or situations the same way
Generalizability
How well a study can be applied to a broader population
Power
A study’s capacity to detect an effect to the extent that such an effect really exists; reflects the quality of a study’s design;
how sensitive is the study?
Independent variable
The variable that is manipulated
(often Culture in cross-cultural studies)
Dependent variable
The variable being measured
One of the most common methods of conducting cross-cultural research is…
Surveys
What are 3 issues with giving surveys in English to people from cultures with non-English first language?
- Ps may have poorer English skills and may not understand the questions as intended. 2. English-speakers may not be representative of their entire culture. 3. Ps may test differently in their native language than English.
How do researchers ensure accurate translations of testing materials?
Back-translation, having a bilingual primary researcher
Back-Translation
A process of translation that involves one translator translating a survey into desired language and a second translator translating back to the first language. Back-translated survey is compared to original survey to ensure meaning is preserved.
Response bias
A factor that distorts the accuracy of a person’s response to survey questions.
Socially desirable responding
People are motivated to be evaluated positively by others, and as a result they might disguise their true feelings to appear more socially acceptable
Moderacy bias
People from certain cultures being more likely to choose numbers at the midpoint of a scale (e.g. “somewhat agree,” “somewhat disagree,” “neutral”).
Extremity bias
People from a certain culture being more likely to chose numbers at the endpoint of a scale (“strongly agree,” “strongly disagree”).
How do researchers control for extremity or moderacy bias in a survey?
Forced response questions (yes/no)
Standardization
The process of averaging all P’s scores and assessing individual items based on how much they depart from the average
What is an issue with standardizing cross-cultural studies?
Assumes all cultures have the same average. Can’t measure average level of responses across cultures on a single measure.
Acquiescence bias
A tendency to agree with most statements
How do researchers control for acquiescence bias in questionnaires?
Reverse-scoring about half of the questions or standardizing the test
Reference group effect
The tendency for people from different cultures to compare themselves to different reference groups
How can researchers control for the reference group effect?
Avoid subjective measures (e.g. “I am helpful”) and include more concrete measures. Avoid Likert-scale tests.
Deprivation effect
In cultures where there is less of a certain characteristic/trait (e.g. humility, personal safety) people report valuing it more than cultures where there is a lot of the same trait/characteristic/value
Are there straightforward ways for researchers to control for deprivation effect?
No
Between-groups manipulation
Different groups of Ps receive different levels of the independent variable (conditions). Requires random assignment
Within-groups manipulation
Each P receives all levels of the IV (conditions). Random assignment not necessary
