Culture and Gender Flashcards
Cultural Differences Meaning
Research must take cultural differences into account in order to avoid biases.
e.g. Cultural groups do not all share the same views on mental health. As a consequence people may describe their symptoms differently and thus their answers have different meanings.
Culture - The Assumption of Universality
Universality suggests that the findings of a research study can be generalised to all people regardless of culture. But if cultural differences exist, the findings of studies from a narrow range of cultures may not be relevant to others.
Milgram made assumptions about the universality of his findings based on a small section of the American population. Research showed that obedience was not the same in all cultures.
Psychological research often uses WEIRD (wester, educated, rich, democratic) samples, restricting generalisability.
Cultural Biases - Etic Approach
Approach where a phenomenon is investigated from an external perspective.
Cultural differences can lead to cultural biases. If one culture performs differently on a task, this may be used to make judgements about which culture is better.
Stevyers and Hemmer used natural environments to investigate memory in an ecologically valid way. But these scenes would only be natural for some of the world’s population, as it depends on culture.
Cultural Biases - Emic Approach
Investigates cultural uniqueness from an internal perspective. If an outsider immerses themselves in the culture, there may be problems in terms of acceptance, language barriers and failure to understand customs.
Sebastian and Hernandez-Gil explored digit spans of Spanish Children, an emic approach.
Assumptions about Gender Differences
GD could reflect underlying biological differences or could be due to learning. Deciding whether it is bio or learning has implications for how society treats men and women.
People expect men to be more naturally aggressive and women to be better carers.
GD - Assumption about Universality
If there are differences between genders, then conclusions from samples of just one gender should not lead to conclusions about people in general.
Sherif’s study used only boys and Baddeley’s Experiment 1 used only males. If men and women differ in prejudice or memory then it would not be apparent in these studies.
Findings about Gender Differences
Some GD have been explored and explained. Bandura (1961) study demonstrated the power of male models for both genders in modelling physical aggression and the superiority of same-gender models for acquiring verbal aggression.
Alpha Bias - Gender
When research stresses or overestimates GD. For example research on aggression has suggested that males are more aggressive than females because of higher testosterone. But this is an exaggeration as it has been shown that females also produce testosterone and that higher levels also increase their aggressiveness.
Beta Bias - Gender
Ignores or underestimates GD. Research has used samples that are largely male and predominantly conducted by male researchers. This ignores the possibility of gender differences with the result that one gender may appear deficient or abnormal.
Ethnocentrism
Focus on own culture and see own culture as normal or in some way better.
Criticism. Often take PP from own ethnic group.
Impossible to avoid.
Smith and Bond - Ethnocentrism
Found that most research in introductory psychology books based on US and EU PP but applied to humans universally.
Ethnocentrism - Bartlett
B’s theory of RM as social norms and rules are part of our socialisation and people are likely to understand info and view people using their own cultural understanding and schemata.
Avoid effects of ethnocentrism
Try to understand someone else’s world to avoid bias and be aware of own bias.
Important to be aware of EC in diagnosis, hearing voices may indicate SZ here but not in other parts of the world.
Cultural Relativism
All knowledge based on cultural beliefs.
CR means being sure that findings are understood in the culture in which they came from e.g. mental health is CR.
Etic Approach
Assumes all behaviour is universal and looks for similarities in diff cultured from perspective of an outsider.
Findings draw conclusions that can be applied across cultures; may not be valid.
