Culture Bias

Question 1

Introduction

Answer 1

Culture is defined as groups of people that differ in norms, behaviours, practices, languages, values, beliefs,location
Cultural bias occurs when people of one culture make assumptions about the behaviour of other people from another culture based on their own cultural norms and practices.
Much of psychology rooted in Western ideas and compared to that as a benchmark.

Question 2

Cross cultural studies

Answer 2

Opening
These are often used to determine whether a behaviour is universal (therefore likely to be due to an innate biological cause like genes) or whether it varies from culture to culture (therefore likely due to environmental and cultural factors ). (Link)

Evidence
Buss looked at relationships in 36 different countries and found the same mate preferences across all cultures studied, regardless of culture. Males valued youth and good looks whereas women look for resources

Strength
Cross cultural studies can help reduce ethnocentrism in research. Due to a varied sample of pps, population validity has increased as well as the ability to generalise research findings to similar cultures

Weakness
Still may be difficult to be free from culture bias for instance with Buss’s research, indigenous researchers interviewed pps. This may result in failure to understand local practices and meanings. To tackle this, Buss had bilingual collaborators who translated the original questionnaire to the native language and translated answers to English, increasing validity (Link)

Conclusion
Therefore psychology has improved in studying other cultures through measures put to ensure results from these studies are valid. (Link)

Question 3

Difference or bias

Answer 3

Opening
When studies are done cross culturally, may be a genuine difference between two cultures or there may be a problem with the methodology used. (Link)

Evidence
Harris investigated role of 42 hunter gatherer societies. Found evidence of romantic love in 26 of these societies. However only 6 cultures studied gave individuals complete freedom of choice of marriage partners, others had arranged marriages.

Strength
Therefore seems to suggest that notion of romantic love is not a universal one. This finding strengthens understanding of cross cultural relationships (Link)

Weakness
Such finding may be due to research bias whereby pps judged against western definition of love and romance. Doesn’t suggest that there was no connection in the 16 cultures identified but maybe the expression and feeling of love beyond researchers expectation (Link)

Conclusion
Indigenous researchers are beginning to present alternatives of human behaviour therefore addressing biases. (Link)

Question 4

Ethnocentrism

Answer 4

Opening
Refers to use of our own ethnic or cultural group as a basis for judgements about other groups. Views beliefs and cultures of own group are normal and other groups are strange. Mustin suggested two ways theories can be biased, alpha and beta. (Link)

Example 1
Alpha bias is assumption that there are great differences between cultural groups, belief that own cultures better, other devalued. AKA Pygmy tribe male members are primary care givers, allow babies to nipple suck while women hunt. Completely opposite to western views of feeding, therefore tribes could be devalued.

Example 2
Beta bias occurs when differences between cultures are completely ignored and not represented. Can be seen in the case of Mary Ainsworth who used bonding template based on American babies (imposed etic). Led to German children being assessed as insecurely attached when it was actually a culture difference

Conclusion
This suggests it’s highly important psychology studies on different cultures promotes an understanding of different cultures. Using indigenous researchers improves validity of research. (Link)

Question 5

Historical and social context

Answer 5

Opening
Traditionally psychology almost always been a western subject. While non western countries are starting to conduct own research, most history of psychology has been white, middle class, western

Support social context

Rosenzweig (1992) found that 64% of the world’s 56,000 researchers in psychology are American.
However, while this finding itself is likely to be out of date, it is probable that the USA still has more psychologists than any other nation. Haggbloom et al (2002) used various kinds of evidence to identify the greatest psychologists of the twentieth century. Less than 20% of them (including, Freud, Piaget, Pavlov and Vygotsky) were non-American. Historically, psychology has not only been a Western concept, but a uniquely American one.

Support historical effect

Bowlby’s study of the effects of separation was conducted more than 60 years ago and at a time when childcare arrangements and attachments are very different from those experienced today. The findings of this study may not generalise well to modern arrangements because the way we look after children has changed. We could argue, therefore, that different time periods are essentially different cultures; “The past is a foreign country”. These studies could be argued to lack temporal or historical validity.

Conclusion
Judgement of two, psychology should be updated, theories must keep up to date with time, also non western research should be encouraged to prevent imposed etic and ethnocentrism