Cultural bias Flashcards
What is cultural bias?
The tendency to judge all people in terms of your own cultural assumptions.
What is alpha bias?
Theories that assume there are real and enduring differences between cultural groups, and exaggerate them.
What is beta bias?
Theories that ignore or minimise cultural differences.
What is ethnocentrism?
Seeing things from the point of view of ourselves and our social group.
What is ethnocentric beta bias?
When a psychologist believes their world view is the only view.
What is an example of ethnocentric beta bias?
When the American IQ test was used on other cultures, and the American results were seen as ‘universal’.
What is ethnocentric alpha bias?
When one’s own culture is considered to be different, but better.
What is an example of ethnocentric alpha bias?
The use of Ainsworth’s strange situation in other cultures. It favours independence, whereas collectivist cultures value dependence.
What is cultural relativism?
The view that behaviour cannot be judged properly unless it is viewed in the context of its original culture.
What is culturally relative beta bias?
When behaviours that are statistically infrequent in one culture may be frequent in another.
What is an example of culturally relative beta bias?
One symptom of schizophrenia is hearing voices, however this is a normal behaviour in some cultures.
What is culturally relative alpha bias?
Where the assumptions of real differences lead psychologists to overlook universals.
What is an example of culturally relative alpha bias?
Mary Mead’s research, that concluded gender differences within aggression were due to culture, but they were actually universal.
What are the 4 AO3 points for cultural bias?
1) Indigenous psychologies
2) Emic-etic distinction
3) Consequences of cultural bias
4) Bias in research methods
Give one example of an indigenous psychology.
Afrocentrism
What is the central proposition of Afrocentrism?
That all black people have their roots in Africa
What do ‘emic’ approaches emphasise?
The uniqueness of cultures by focusing on culturally specific phenomena
What is the issue with ‘emic’ approaches?
They only tend to find significant behavioural findings about a singular culture
What do ‘etic’ approaches seek?
Universals
How can cultural bias be reduced when taking an ‘etic’ approach?
Employ indigenous researchers in each cultural setting
How did Buss avoid cultural bias in his mate preference study?
Used local researchers for each of the 37 cultures
What test led to the perpetuation of racial stereotypes in America?
The US Army IQ test
What was the order of the 3 groups in the US Army IQ test that led to differential treatment?
White Americans, European immigrants then African-American individuals
What did Smith and Bond find about research in a European psychology textbook?
66% was American, 32% was European and 2% was from the rest of the world
What did Sears find about the participants of the research in the European psychology textbook?
67% were American psychology students
