Psychology Issues And Debates CULTURAL BIAS Flashcards
+ Who studied individualism and collectivism and what did they find?
Tokano and Osaka (1999) - 14 out of 15 studies that compared the USA and Japan found no distinction between collectivism and individualism
+ Any studies that can be applied to universality?
Ekman (1989) argued that we must be aware of the fact there is some universality in behaviour
For example, basic facial expressions for emotions such as happiness or disgust are the same all over the human and animal world
- Unfamiliarity with research tradition
- Particpants’ familiarity with general aims and objectives is assumed
- Cannot assume all cultures have the same knowledge
- Demand characteristics may be exaggerated and this affects validity (Smith and Bond, 1988: Bond and Smith, 1996) ‘cross cultural replications’
- Operationalisation of variables
- Problem with cross-cultural research is that variables may not be viewed in the same way by all participants
- Behavioural expressions can be viewed differently by people in different cultures
- This may result in misunderstanding between the researcher and participants
+ Challenging implicit assumptions
- Benefits of cross-cultural research is that it challenges western views
- This may promote greater sensitivity to other cultures and prevents scientific racism of the past
- the conclusions psychologists draw are likely to have more validity
What is ehtnocentrism?
A tendency to ignore cultural differences and jnteroret all behaviour through the ‘lens’ of one’s own culture
What is cultural bias?
Judging other cultures by the values and standards of one’s own culture. This can result in feeling of superiority for one’s own culture which can lead to problems of prejudice and bias
What is cultural relativism?
The idea that norms, values, ethics and standards differ from culture to culture and so can only be understood within specific social and cultural contexts
What is alpha bias
Assumes that there wre real and enduring differences between cultural groups. For example differences between collective and individualistic societies
What is beta bias?
Beta bias refers to theories which ignore or minimise any difference in culture. For example the use of IQ tests on non-western views
Ethnocentric research example
Milgram’s research (1963)
- Milgram’s findings have been replicated
- Miranda at al (1981) studied both males and females and found an obedience rate of over 91% in Spanish students
- Smith and Bond (1998) argue most replicants have taken place in western, developed society, therefore these results should not be applied universally
What is Etic’s research?
Etic:
* specific cultural - applied to other cultures to find universal laws
- Language
- Attachment
- sample of the population- cannot generalise the findings to all cultures (imposed etc)
What is Emic’s research?
Emic:
* studies variations in behaviours between groups
-Exaggersting differences between groups whilst neglecting differences within groups
Definition of indigenous psychologists?
The development of different groups of theories in different countries
What does Etic and Emic approach find
Emic - only helps our understanding of behaviour within that culture
Etic - seeks universals of behaviour
