Culture in psychology: Cultural bias

Question 1

Key words for cultural bias

Answer 1

• Cultural bias
• Cultural relativism
• Culture
• Ethnocentrism

Question 2

What is cultural bias ?

Answer 2

• The tendency to judge all people in terms of your own cultural assumptions. This distorts or biases your judgement.

Question 3

What is cultural relevatism ?

Answer 3

• The view that behaviour cannot be judged properly unless it is viewed in the context of the culture in which it originates.

Question 4

What is culture ?

Answer 4

• The rules, customs, morals, and ways of interacting that bind together members of a society or some other collection of people

Question 5

What is ethnocentrism ?

Answer 5

• Seeing things from the point of view of ourselves and our social group. Evaluating other groups of people using the standards and customs of ones own culture.

Question 6

Is ethnocentrism alpha or beta bias ?

Answer 6

• It is mostly alpha bias - because ones own culture is considered to be different or better which leads to other cultures being devalued.

Question 7

one evaluation - (indigenou psychologies)

Answer 7

• counter ethnocentrism - leads to the development of theories relevant to the life and culture of people of african descent
• Afrocentrism disputes the views that european values and culture of europe’s at orst devalue non european people and at best are irrelevant to the life and culture f people with african descent

Question 8

Evaluation - The emic etic distinction

Answer 8

• emphasises the uniqueness of every culture by focusing on culturally specific phenomena