Cultural Bias Flashcards
In 1992, how many of the world’s psychological researchers were American?
64%
What % of psychological studies in 1991 were conducted in America?
94%
What is Cultural Bias?
If the norm for behaviour is judged from the standpoint of one particular culture, then any differences in behaviour that deviate from the standard will be seen as abnormal or inferior.
What is Ethnocentrism?
The belief of a superiority of ones own culture over another cultural group. In psychological research this is communicated through a view that any behaviours that do not conform to the Western model are somehow deficient, unsophisticated or undeveloped.
How is Ainsworth’s research an example of cultural relativism?
Ainsworth’s research is an example of an imposed etic - by assuming that the US-based model of classifying attachment was the norm, Ainsworth imposed her own cultural understanding on the world.
What is the difference between emic and etic research?
Emic takes place within a culture and identifies behaviours specific to that culture, whereas etic looks at behaviour from outside a given culture and attempts to describe behaviours universally.
What is cultural relativism?
The idea that psychologists should be mindful that the things they discover only make sense from the perspective of the culture in which they were discovered.
What is the limitation - Takano and Osaka?
When psychologists reference culture, they do so with an individualist-collectivist distinction. Takano and Osaka found that 14/15 studies that compared the USA and Japan found no evidence of this traditional distinction, suggesting that cultural bias is less of an issue than previously.
What is the limitation - Universality vs cultural relativism?
Berry’s theory of imposed etic is a useful reminder to psychologists of the culturally specific nature of their work - but there is such thing as universal human behaviour. Research suggests that basic facial expressions are the same all over the human and animal world, and critiques of Ainsworth’s strange situation should not ignore that some features of attachment such as universality or interactional synchrony are universal. A full understanding of human behaviour requires both universal and individual approach.
What is the limitation - unfamiliarity with research tradition?
When conducting research in Western culture the participants familiarity with the general aims and objectives of scientific research is assumed, however the same knowledge may not extend to cultures with little psychological research. For this reason, demand characteristics may be exaggerated with the local population and may decrease validity.
