L12-L14 Flashcards
3 approaches to generating research ideas
deduction, induction, abduction
Deduction
top-down approach that is used to determine how existing general information can be applied to a specific instance
Steps in deduction
If P then Q; P, therefore Q
Theory
overarching framework that organizes and explains phenomena and data; generates a hypothesis that test the boundaries of the theory
Hypothesis
a tentative statement about a relationship that may or may not be true
Prediction
specific statement regarding the expected outcome of a study
Induction
bottom-up approach that goes from an observation to a hypothesis to a theory or general expectation (may lead to logical errors)
Abduction
used to identify the simplest and most probable explanation of a phenomena or observation
Difference between abduction and induction
abduction does not lead into a theory or general explanation, rather it leads into an explanation for a specific observation
Steps in abduction
If P then Q; Q, therefore P
Type of data in qualitative vs quantitative research
textual, narrative, personal experience; numerical
Goal of qualitative vs quantitative research
descriptive (to develop a good understanding of a phenomenon); to identify social regularities by comparing and contrasting different groups
Type of research (or reasoning) in qualitative vs quantitative research
inductive (to induce a theory); deductive (to test a theory)
Methods in qualitative vs quantitative research
unstructured or semi-structured questions; structured or closed-ended questions
Sample size in qualitative vs quantitative research
very small due to large amount of data gathered from each participant; large
Generalizability in qualitative and quantitative research
good if random sampling is used (equal chance of recruitment) and depends on ratio of sample size to population
5 kinds of measures used in quantitative research
explicit, implicit, physiological, neurological, behavioral
Explicit measures
asking participants to directly report their thoughts and emotions (e.g. self-report questions)
Implicit measures
measures for attitudes over which participants have no conscious control (e.g. associations that imply racism)
Neurological measures
use of neuroimagery techniques to determine neurological changes and the role of neural structures
Behavioral measures
measures actual behaviors that are proxies for a psychological construct (i.e. conceptual dependent variable)
Physiological measures
measures the body’s automatic reactions to stimuli, excluding changes in the brain (e.g. galvanic skin response)
Problems with the use of number scales in quantitative research
response biases (extremity bias or moderacy bias)
Response biases
the systematic tendency to respond to questionnaire items on some basis other than the specific item content, which threatens the validity of cross-cultural comparisons
Extremity bias vs moderacy bias
tendency to choose extreme options (common in Hispanics); tendency to choose middle options (common in East Asians)
2 potential solutions to response biases
yes/no questions and forced-choice questions
3 solutions for social desirability responding
administer questionnaire anonymously; use neutral instead of valenced items to describe both positive and negative characteristics; use a separate measure to assess tendency to engage in socially desirable responding
2 motivations for socially desirable responding
self-deception (i.e. lying to oneself) and image management (common among East Asians)
2 issues with the use of qualitative research in cultural psychology
researchers having no understanding of cultures; methodological equivalence
Methodological equivalence
researchers must adapt procedures so that cultures understand them in the same way, even if it means using a slightly different one, as some (e.g. subsistence cultures) are less familiar with the research setting
Consequence of not understanding cultures in qualitative research
making conclusions based on faulty information and assumptions
How can researchers develop an understanding of cultures?
ethnographies and international collaboration
Field research
cultural psychologists or anthropologists collect data in the field (anywhere that’s not a lab) to examine human psychology
Ethnography
comprehensive collection of data and knowledge about a particular cultural group
Indigenous peoples’ research
greater use of qualitative methods than current mainstream academia due to greater familiarity with expressing ideas qualitatively from the cultural practice of oral tradition
2 qualitative methods used in indigenous peoples’ research
focus groups and talking circles
Focus groups
use of unstructured or semi-structured questions allow for natural interactions among participants, although assertive speakers may dominate
Talking circles
a more cultural practice with a strong emphasis on turn-taking and where everyone is treated with equal respect
What do talking circles symbolize?
sharing, respect, continuous compassion for one another
3 reasons for the lack of published indigenous research
mainstream psychology’s reliance on quantitative methodologies; lack of training in interpreting qualitative data; lack of indigenous researchers and recognition
Two-eyed seeing approach
mixing Western research methods with indigenous worldviews, specifically Mi’kmaq
What aspects of Western and Indigenous cultures are incorporated in the two-eyed seeing approach?
tools for breaking down and isolating mechanisms from western science; indigenous ways of knowing that emphasize relationships and patterns across generations through ancestral history
What partnerships does the two-eyed seeing approach involve?
partnerships between elders, communities, and western-trained scientists
Amalgamating methods
forms of communication, created by people within a cultural environment, that reflect their overall psychology
Back-translation
a translator translates research material from language A to language B then another translator does the reverse (B to A), then the two versions are compared to identify any discrepancies
Consensus method in translation
multiple bilingual arrive at a consensus
Acquiescence bias
tendency to agree with most statements
Reference group effect
tendency for people to evaluate themselves by comparison to others in their own culture, resulting in different standards across cultures
Deprivation effect
tendency for people to value something more (e.g. personal safety) when it is lacking in their culture
Occam’s razor
all else equal, the simplest theory tends to be correct
What are factors of a cultural or psychological construct?
different underlying facets that all relate to one central construct
Structural/construct equivalence
the structure underlying a psychological construct must be comparable across cultures
Correlational design
the researchers measures all variables of interest (continuous) and has no control over any of them, thus can only look at relationships
Quasi-experimental design
researchers measures the dependent variable as a function of naturally occurring groups (no random assignment)
Situation sampling
method used in cross-cultural comparisons wherein situations generated by participants in more than one culture are presented to different groups of participants from multiple cultures
Cultural priming
method used in cross-cultural comparisons wherein cultural ways of thinking are induced in people not enculturated by the cultural group
Tightness-looseness
the degree to which a culture or society has strong social norms and low tolerance for people who violate those norms
