Culture Bias

Question 1

Culture bias:

Answer 1

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

Question 2

Ethnocentrism:

Answer 2

Inappropriately generalising the values and research findings of one culture to another without bothering to test other cultures.

This limits the validity of these theories and neglects the important cross-cultural differences.

Question 3

Rosenzweig:

Answer 3

Psychology predominately a white, Euro-American enterprise.
64% of the worlds 56,000 psychological researchers are from the US.

94% of studies referred to have US participants, 2% Europeans and 3% rest of the world - sample mainly white , middle class

Question 4

Example of ethnocentrism:

Answer 4

Piaget’s findings of cognitive development:
Culture bias in IQ tests and his theory represents Western, individualist approaches to learning.

Attachment: strange situation developed with American children and not appropriate method to measure attachment in other cultures leading to bias classification of non- American children.

Question 5

Cultural relativism:

Answer 5

Idea that all cultures are different and equally worth studying.

This has led to many studies comparing cultures, for example infant attachment.

Question 6

Etic analysis:

Answer 6

Belief that behaviour is universal so cultural differences can be ignored eg. application of western based psychiatric diagnosis to non western groups.

But behaviour that looks abnormal in such groups may have different causes to similar behaviours in western groups.

Question 7

Emic analysis:

Answer 7

Behaviour is culturally specific eg. Cultural relativism.

Cultural relativism is closely related to ethical relativism, which views truth as variable and not absolute. What constitutes right and wrong is determined solely by the individual or by society.

Question 8

Ways to reduce culture bias:

Answer 8

Isn’t intentional, so difficult to prevent:

• researchers should accept that there are no universal standards for behaviour and that research done must take into account the culture it takes place in.
• samples should be representative of the groups you want to generalise to.
• Berry suggested using local researchers who are part of the culture being studied, as this avoids the problem of imposed etic.