Cultural Bias Flashcards
Cultural Bias
Tendency of psychologists to ignore cultural differences and interpret all behaviour in terms of their own cultural assumptions
Universality
Conclusions from research can be applied to everyone, everywhere, regardless of time, culture or different experiences/upbringings
Alpha Bias
Research exaggerates or overemphasizes differences between cultures
Beta bias
Research ignores or minimizes differences between cultures, assuming that psychological theories or findings apply universally.
Ethnocentrism
Tendency to judge other cultures by the standards of one’s own culture, often viewing one’s own culture as superior
Ethnocentrism Example
Attachment - Ainsworths Strange Situation
Used cultural norms/values of childing in America
Suggested secure was ‘ideal’ attachment type
American attachment is superior to non-us cultures
Cultural Bias Example
Asch’s Conformity Study
Asch’s study focused on American participants (Western)
Found more likely to conform to group pressure when majority gave incorrect answer
Collectivist cultures ( Japan) , conformity rates are often higher because social harmony is valued more than personal independence.
Assumes findings from one culture (individualist) apply to all cultures.
Cultural Relativism
No culture is superior
Imposed etic
Assume study/theory identified in one culture is the norm
Impose this cultural understanding on rest of world
Etic
Behaviour outside a specific culture to try and find trends
Emic
Behaviour inside a culture only looks at one specific culture
Cultural Relativism Example
Gender - Margret Mead - Cross Cultural study of gender roles
Examined gender roles of tribal groups on island of New Guinea
Found: may not be direct biological relationship between gender and sex
Gender roles are not universal but are instead shaped by cultural context.
Example of imposed etic
Limitation - Assumption Western perspectives apply universally
Individualist - prioritise independence (US, UK)
Collectivist - emphasises group needs (China, Japan)
Research may lack validity
Counterpoint - Assumption Western perspectives apply universally
Takano and Osaka:
No clear distinction between collectivist and individualist cultures
Cultural divide may be exaggerated
Strength - recognising universality reduces cultural bias
Facial expressions / emotions are universal
Ainsworth’s Strange Situation: interactional synchrony
Universal human behaviour
Limitation - unfamiliarity with research methods can reduce validity
Western studies: demand characteristics are issue
Non-western: less exposure to scientific research
Participants less familiar with procedures
May reduce validity
Limitation - Operationalisation of variables can lead to misinterpretation
Emotional expression / aggression interpreted differently depending on cultural norms
eg: assertiveness, may bee seen as rude in another cultutre
Not possible to standardise variables across cultures
