Culture in Psychology

Question 1

Culture

Answer 1

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

Question 2

Culture bias

Answer 2

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

Question 3

Alpha bias

Answer 3

• When a theory assumes that cultural groups are profoundly different

Question 4

Beta bias

Answer 4

• When real cultural differences are ignored or minimalised
• Can be seen in universal research designs

Question 5

Ethnocentrism

Answer 5

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

Question 6

Cultural relativism

Answer 6

• Insists that behaviour can only be properly understood if the cultural context is taken in consideration

Question 7

Universality

Answer 7

• Can be applied to all people irrespective of culture or gender

Question 8

Psychopathology

Answer 8

• Definitions of abnormality demonstrate culture bias as defining abnormalities varies from culture to culture
• It has been found that African-Caribbean’s in Britain are diagnosed as psychologically ill on the basis of behaviour such as hallucinations which are demmed nirmal in their subculture
• This therefore challenges the bias and validity of the definitions of abnormality and diagnostic tools in the UK

Question 9

Attachment

Answer 9

• Ainsworth’s strange situation is an example of ethnocentric research
• Designed in America to assess attachment types
• Assuming the strange situation has the same meaning for infants from other cultures
• Cross cultural research has found differences in the findings across culture
• E.g., German children demonstrated a higher rate of insecure avoidant behaviour
• May be the result of the fact German children are encouraged to be more independent and therefore would respond differently in the strange situation
• This culture bias challenges the validity of the findings and the universality of the research in its methodology of explaining and understanding attachement

Question 10

Cultural relativism

Answer 10

• Opposite to ethnocentrism
• Behaviour can only be properly understood if culture is taken into consideration
• Appreciating behaviour varies between cultures
• Behaviour can only be fully understood by studying it in the culture where it originates

Question 11

What might cultural relativism lead to

Answer 11

• Alpha bias

Question 12

What does cultural relativism usually suggest

Answer 12

• An emic approach

Question 13

Emic approach

Answer 13

• Certain culture is studies then the results should only be relevant to that culture

Question 14

Etic approach

Answer 14

• When a behaviour can be applied regardless of culture

Question 15

When does cultural bias occur

Answer 15

• When a research assumes an emic construct (behaviour specific to a single culture) is actually atic (behaviour universal to all cultures)

Question 16

Attachment type

Answer 16

• Can only be understood if the child rearing and parenting style are taken into account

Question 17

Psychological disorders

Answer 17

• Affected by culture
• Anxiety disorders are informed by culture with what situations/objects are likely to cause fear
• Some anxiety disorders are specific to cultures such as Japan there is a syndrome for fear of upsetting others
• In UK there is no such phobia and this would be classed as a social phobia