Issues And Debates

Question 1

Cultural bias definition

Answer 1

Ignoring cultural differences and interpreting all phenomena through ones own culture

Question 2

Cultural bias - Universality

Answer 2

Findings in mainstream psychology derived from studies in western cultures can be universally applied.

Asch (conformity)
Milgram (obedience)

US p’s
Other studies revealed different results all over the world
A behaviour that is judged from the standpoint of one culture will be inevitably seen as abnormal - cultural bias

Question 3

Cultural Bias - Ethnocentrism

Answer 3

Particular form of cultural bias and belief in the superiority of ones own cultural group.

Ainsworth strange situation - categorised behaviours only from studying US children. Misinterpretation of other child-reading in diff countries. SS is an inappropriate measure for non-US children

Question 4

Cultural relativism

Imposed etic

Answer 4

Ainsworth strange situations is an example of imposed etic - she studied behaviour from a single culture and tried to apply it universally
Lacks cultural relativism

Question 5

Eric and Emic definitions

Answer 5

Etic approach - behaviour from outside of a culture and attempts to describe those behaviours that are universal

Emic approach - functions from within a culture and identifies behaviours that are specific to that culture