Cultural Bias - AO1

Question 1

What is cultural bias?

Answer 1

The tendency to judge people in terms of one’s own cultural assumptions, ignoring the effects that cultural differences might have on behaviour

Question 2

What does WEIRD stand for?

Answer 2

Westernised, Educated people from Industrialised, Rich democracies

Question 3

What is ethnocentrism?

Answer 3

Belief in the superiority of one’s own cultural group
Judging other cultures by the standards and values of one culture

Question 4

What is an example of ethnocentrism?

Answer 4

Ainsworth and Bell (1970)

• Conducted research reflecting only the norms and values of American culture
• Suggested ideal attachment type was characterised by babies showing moderate amounts of distress

Question 5

What is cultural relativism?

Answer 5

The idea that norms and values can only be meaningful and understood within specific social and cultural contexts

Question 6

What is an example of cultural relativism?

Answer 6

van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg’s meta-analysis used studies from different cultures that had been conducted by indigenous researchers
BUT a truly emic approach would be to design a new Strange Situation for each specific culture