Culture Bias

Question 1

Define culture

Answer 1

The values, beliefs and patterns of behaviour shared by a group of individuals

Question 2

Define Culture Bias

Answer 2

The tendency to judge people in terms of one’s own cultural assumptions

Question 3

Define alpha bias in culture

Answer 3

When a theory assumes that cultures are profoundly different

Question 4

Define beta bias in culture

Answer 4

When real cultural differences are ignored or minimised e..g in universal research designs

Question 5

Define ethnocentrism

Answer 5

Seeing the world from one’s own cultural perspective and believing this is accurate

Question 6

Define Cultural Relativism

Answer 6

Insists that behaviours can only be understood if the cultural context is taken into consideration

Question 7

Define Universality

Answer 7

When a theory can be applied to everyone regardless of culture

Question 8

What is an Emic approach?

Answer 8

If a certain culture is studied then the results of that study should only be relevant to that culture e.g. Cultural Relativism

Question 9

What is an Etic approach?

Answer 9

Behaviour can be applied regardless of culture

Question 10

What is an imposed Etic?

Answer 10

When researcher takes emic construct and tries to apply to all cultures

Question 11

What did Henrich find?

Answer 11

In major psychological journals:
- 68% participants from US
- 96% western industrialised nations
- American uni students 4,000 more likely to be a participant then someone from non-western background.
- Therefore may be cultural bias in the tests we have developed to diagnose disorders
- Could lead to misinterpreting or inaccuracies in psychological assessment and treatment

Question 12

Examples of Culture Bias

Answer 12

1. Memory - WEIRD samples
2. Ainsworth Strange Situation - designed in America (imposed etic) assumes other cultures same e.g. Germany more insecure avoidant
3. Schaffer and Emerson stages of attachment (Glasgow, same culture and class)
4. SZ - African British men 9x as likely to be diagnosed with SZ because of culture bias and over-caution (e.g. Hallucinations in Haiti)
5. Psychopathology - Jahoda’s criteria of abnormality is cult biased and ethnocentric - not applicable to collectivist cultures, hallucinations are normal in Haiti

Question 13

How to deal with culture bias

Answer 13

1. Non WEIRD sample (Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich, Democratic)
2. Don’t assume universal norms across cultures
3. Be sensitive to cultural norms when designing research or reporting findings
4. Use a reflective approach to constantly review if being biassed or not

Question 14

Implications of Culture Bias (recognise)

Answer 14

• ✅ Recognising Cultural Bias
  
  • Because we know about the role of culture, researchers can actively work to identify it and make improvements
  • Such as by taking a reflexive approach
  • Makes research more diverse
  • Further, nowadays psychologists are well-travelled and academics hold international conferences - exchange research and ideas across cultures which helps to minimise its effects
  • Psychology is making progress in reducing the effects of culture bias

Question 15

Implication of Gender Bias (indigenous)

Answer 15

• ✅ Indigenous Psychology
  
  • Explicitly studies the experiences of people from different cultures
  • Afrocentrism emphasises the importance of studying behaviour and attitudes from African perspective
  • Sometimes taking a culturally biased approach can ensure minorities are researched too - useful for them, we can see differences

Question 16

Consequences of Culture Bias (sensitive tests)

Answer 16

• ❌ Socially Sensitive
  
  • Validates damaging stereotypes
  • Tests that are designed with cultural bias advantage the people from that culture (e.g. IQ test in America, they cleverer then others) - invalid and inaccurate findings
  • This affects attitudes of society’s - contribute to negative stereotypes
  • Stereotypes + prejudice → Discrimination and hate

Question 17

Consequences of Culture Bias (policy)

Answer 17

• ❌ Harmful policies (Brave)
  
  • Nobles (1976) argues that western psychology has been a tool of oppression and dominance.
  • Culturally bias data has been used to justify social policies that harm people of colour
    
    • (racial segregation, diminished educational opportunities, restrictions on immigration, institutionalization, forced sterilization)
  • Psychology has a history of culturally bias research that emphasis and white normativity and white superiority