cultural bias

Question 1

What is cultural bias?

Answer 1

Ignoring cultural differences

Interpret phenomena through the lens of one culture

Question 2

What is an example of cultural bias?

Answer 2

Asch and Milgram

Very different results in other parts of the world (Kilham and Mann)

Question 3

What is ethnocentrism?

Answer 3

Belief in superiority of one’s own culture

View that behaviours which do not conform to the Weatern model are somehow deficient and underdeveloped

Question 4

What is an example of ethnocentrism?

Answer 4

Strange Situation only reflects American values
Key variable of attachment is separation anxiety
German mothers seen as cold for encouraging independence

Question 5

What is imposed etic?

Answer 5

Strange Situation is an example

Imposing cultural understanding on rest of world

Question 6

Who drew a distinction between etic and emic?

Answer 6

Berry

Question 7

What is an etic approach?

Answer 7

Looks at behaviour from outside a culture

Describes that behaviour as universal

Question 8

What is an emic approach?

Answer 8

Within a culture

Identifies culture specific behaviour

Question 9

What is cultural relativism?

Answer 9

Norms and values can only be meaningful within a cultural context
Recognising this is a way to avoid cultural bias

Question 10

Evaluation - individualism and collectivism

Answer 10

In the global age, a lazy and simplistic distinction between cultures doesn’t work
Takano and Osaka - 14 out of 15 studies comparing USA and Japan found no distinction
Cultural bias less of an issue now

Question 11

Evaluation - cultural relativism vs universality

Answer 11

Not all psychology is culturally relative
Ekman - basic facial expressions are the same everywhere
Interactional synchrony

Question 12

Evaluation - unfamiliarity with research tradition

Answer 12

Assume general knowledge of scientific process
Faith in science may not extend to all cultures
Demand characteristics exaggerated in Western culture

Question 13

Evaluation - operationalisation of variables

Answer 13

Behavioural expression of emotions eg aggression
Different behaviours everywhere
CHINA - invasion of personal space are normal
WEST - confrontational

Question 14

Evaluation - challenging implicit assumptions

Answer 14

Cross cultural research challenges our ways of thinking

Concepts we take for granted not shared by everyone