Gender and cultural bias

Question 1

Universality

Answer 1

The idea that particular characteristics can be applied to everyone.

Question 2

Gender bias

Answer 2

Misrepresentation of gender differences

Question 3

Alpha bias

Answer 3

Exaggeration of differences.

Question 4

Cultural bias

Answer 4

Researchers judging other cultures from their perspective

Question 5

Beta bias

Answer 5

Minimising the differences in gender

Question 6

Ethnocentrism

Answer 6

When the researcher takes their own culture as superior. For example, a view that any behaviours which do not conform to western culture are deficient.
Ainsworth

Question 7

Cultural relativism

Answer 7

Behaviours can only be understood from the perspective of its own cultural context

Question 8

Implications of Gender bias

Answer 8

May create misleading assumptions about female behaviour and provide a scientific justification to deny women opportunities.

Question 9

Sexism within the research process

Answer 9

A lack of women appointed at senior research level means that female concerns may not be reflected in the research questions asked.
The laboratory experiment may further disadvantage women as female participants are placed in inequitable relationship with a usually male researcher who has the power to label them unreasonable.
Psychology may be guilty of supporting a form of institutional sexism that create bias in research.

Question 10

Etic approach

Answer 10

Looks at behaviour from outside of a given culture and attempts to describe universal behaviours.

Question 11

Emic approach

Answer 11

Functions from within certain cultures and identifies behaviour that is specific to that culture.

Question 12

Individualism and collectivism

Answer 12

Individualist culture is associated with western countries who are thought to value personal freedom and independence.
Collectivist cultures are said to place more emphasis on interdependence.
However researchers have suggested an increased interconnectedness.

Question 13

Cultural relativism V universality

Answer 13

It should not be assumed that all psychology is culturally relative and that there is no such thing as universal behaviour. Ekman 1989 suggested that emotions are the same all over the world.

Question 14

Unfamiliarity with research tradition.

Answer 14

When conducting research in western cultures the participant’s familiarity of the aims and objectives are assumed. However, the same knowledge may not extend to cultures that do not have the same historical experiences.
Demand characteristics may be exaggerated when working with people of the local population. This may have an effect on validity.