Cultural Bias Flashcards
What can culture be described as?
All the knowledge and values shared by a society
What can result in theories that are scientifically inadequate?
Psychologists may overlook the importance of cultural diversity in understanding human behaviour
What do critics argue about mainstream psychology?
That it ignores cultural differences and studies that are carried out in western cultures should not be generalised
When does ethnocentrism occur?
When a researcher assumes their own culturally specific practices/ideas are natural or right
What is cultural relativism?
The principle of regarding the beliefs/values/practices of a culture from the viewpoint of that culture itself
When is cultural relativism sometimes practiced?
To avoid cultural bias in research
To avoid judging another culture by standards of ones own culture
What is an emic?
An emic construct is one that is applied to only one in one cultural group, so they carry from place to place
What does an emic approach refer to?
The investigation of a culture from within the culture itself
What is an emic approach most likely to have?
Ecological validity as the findings are less likely to be distorted or caused by a mismatch between the cultures
What is an etic construct?
A theoretical idea that is assumed to apply in all cultural groups - considered universal to all people - most human behaviours are common
Why is the Strange Situation not appropriate for assessing children from non US or UK populations
It is based on Western ideals, initial study used American mothers, so the generalisability of findings is limited
What did Takahshi 1990 aim to see?
Whether the strange situation is a valid procedure for cultures other than the original
What did Takahshi find?
No children in the avoidant insecure stage
What is an example of an etic approach?
Imposition of IQ tests designed within one culture on another culture
What is an example of an etic approach that produces bias?
IQ tests - may not be valid in another country
