culture bias Flashcards
What is cultural bias?
Cultural bias is the tendency to judge all people using assumptions based on one’s own culture, distorting or ignoring cultural differences.
How does cultural bias manifest in psychological research?
Psychological research often reflects an American-centric perspective, ignoring the role of culture in human behavior.
What is ethnocentrism?
Ethnocentrism is using one’s own cultural group as the standard to judge others, viewing one’s culture as “normal” or superior while others are seen as deviant or inferior.
Provide an example of ethnocentrism in psychological research.
Ainsworth’s Strange Situation defines ideal attachment based on American cultural norms. German children are often classified as insecure-avoidant due to cultural emphasis on independence, showcasing imposed etic.
What is imposed etic?
Imposed etic refers to applying assumptions from one culture universally, ignoring cultural context.
What is cultural relativism?
Cultural relativism is the idea that behavior should only be judged within the context of its original culture, rejecting universal norms.
What are the key approaches in cultural psychology?
Etic Approach: Studies behavior from an external perspective, aiming for universality.
Emic Approach: Focuses on behavior from within a specific culture, recognizing its uniqueness.
What did Berry (1969) emphasize about cultural approaches?
Berry highlighted the distinction between etic (universal) and emic (culture-specific) approaches, advocating for cultural relativism to avoid biased findings.
What are the consequences of cultural bias and ethnocentrism in psychology?
They can deny opportunities to cultural groups and perpetuate stereotypes, as seen in the US Army IQ test used before World War I.
How did the US Army IQ test demonstrate cultural bias?
It classified European immigrants and African Americans as having lower intelligence than white Americans, reinforcing societal prejudices.
How can ethnocentrism in psychology be reduced?
By encouraging indigenous (emic) approaches, such as Afrocentrism, which emphasizes culturally relevant theories and rejects the universality of European standards.
Why is Afrocentrism important in reducing ethnocentrism?
It promotes inclusivity and cultural diversity by recognizing historically ignored cultural norms and values.
What is a limitation of cultural relativism?
It assumes universal behaviors do not exist, which can undermine research into shared human traits.
What evidence challenges cultural relativism?
Ekman (1989) found universal facial expressions, and interactional synchrony in attachment also appears to be universal.
What is the benefit of combining etic and emic approaches?
It balances universality with cultural diversity, avoiding cultural bias and ethnocentrism.
How did Buss (1989) demonstrate the combination of etic and emic approaches?
By using local researchers in 37 cultures to study mate preferences, incorporating both universal and culturally specific factors.
