Cutural Bias Flashcards
Cultural bias
2 key aspects
Cultural bias in psychology occurs when research assumes that findings from one culture can be applied universally. Two key aspects are:
Ethnocentrism: Viewing one’s own culture as the standard and interpreting other cultures through this lens. This can result in other cultures being seen as inferior or abnormal.
Cultural Relativism: The idea that behaviour can only be understood within its cultural context. Researchers must consider cultural differences to avoid biased conclusions
What is ethnocentrism?
Example?
The superiority of one’s own ethnic and cultural group.
Ainsworth’s strange situation, reflect norms of ‘western’ cultures.
Ideal A type measured by moderate amount of distress when left alone
But led to misinterpretation of child rearing practices in other countries which deviate from American norm
Japanese= IA
due to Japanese babies rarely being separated from mother
What is meant by a culture?
The beliefs and customs that a group of people share, such as child-rearing practices.
What is cultural relativism?
Behaviour cannot be judged properly unless it is viewed in the context of the culture in which it originates.
Etic vs Emic
etic- B from outside of a given culture, describes B as universal
emic- functions from inside a culture, identifies behaviour specifc to that culture
Imposed etic example
Ainsworths SS, studied B inside one culture (america) assumed ideal A type could be applied universally.
Also in defining abnormality, ‘cultural bias in definitions of abnormality’
Why does Berry say psychology are guilty of imposed etic?
theories, models have been argued universal, actually came through emic research inside a single culture
psychologists should be more mindful of cultural relativism, things they discover only make sense from the perspective of the culture which they were discovered
Evaluation for Cultural Bias
-ve most influential studies are cultural bias
+ve dealing with cultural bias
+ve development of ‘indigenous psychologists’
-ve of cultural bias
P: Most influential studies on social influence are culturally biased.
E: Many classic studies, such as those by Asch and Milgram, were conducted in the United States using white, middle-class students.
R: When these experiments are replicated in different countries, the results can vary significantly. For example, Asch-type experiments show higher conformity rates in collectivist cultures compared to the individualistic culture of the United States. This suggests that our understanding of social influence might be applicable only to individualistic cultures.
C: However, in an era of increased media globalization, the distinction between individualistic and collectivist cultures may no longer be relevant. The traditional argument posits that individualist countries value independence while collectivist countries prioritize the group.
Y: Takano and Osaka reviewed 15 studies comparing the US and Japan and found no evidence supporting the individualism-collectivism distinction in 14 of them. This finding indicates that the distinction is increasingly seen as lazy and simplistic, suggesting that cultural bias is less of an issue in more recent psychological research.
+ve dealing with cultural bias
P: One way to deal with cultural bias is to recognize it when it occurs.
E: Acknowledging cultural bias is crucial in addressing its presence and impact.
R: Smith and Bond’s 1998 survey of European textbooks on social psychology revealed that 66% of the studies were American, 32% were European, and only 2% were from the rest of the world.
C: This distribution indicates that psychological research is heavily skewed towards Western perspectives.
Y: Such a bias undermines the representativeness of psychological studies, which can be significantly improved by including a more diverse range of cultural groups in research.
+ve development of ‘indigenous psychologists’
P: This heightened awareness of cultural diversity has led to the development of ‘indigenous psychologies,’ which are theories that draw explicitly on the particular experiences of people in different cultural contexts.
E: One example of an indigenous psychology is Afrocentrism. This movement posits that because all black people have their roots in Africa, theories about them must recognize the African context of behaviours and attitudes.
R: This is significant because it has led to the emergence of theories that are more relevant to the lives and cultures of people, not only in Africa but also to those far removed from their African origins.
C: However, the development of indigenous psychologies is often seen as a strength of cultural relativism, but there are limitations. For instance, are Afrocentric theories not as culturally biased as those they claim to replace?
Y: This criticism is an issue because it questions the validity and universality of Afrocentric theories, suggesting they might be just as limited and biased as the theories they were created to challenge.
