Culture bias Flashcards
culture bias
refers to a tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all phenomena through the lens of ones own culture
etic construct
approach that looks at behaviours from the outside of a given culture and attempts to describe behaviours that are universal
emic construct
approach that looks within/inside cultures and identified behaviours that are specific to that culture
ethnocentrism
judging other cultures by the standards and values of ones own culture. In its extreme form it is belief in the superiority of ones own culture which may lead to prejudice and discirmination towards other cultures
example of ethnocentrism
Ainsworth strange situation
-only reflects the norms and values of American culture
-many assume ss has the same meaning for infants from other cultures as it does to American culture
-suggested secure attachment demonstrated by infant showing moderate levels of distress
-led to misrepresentation in child rearing
cultural relativism
idea that norms and values as well as ethics and moral standards can only be meaningful and understood within specific social and cultural contexts
example of cultural relativism
Sternberg
-meaning of intelligence differs within cultures
-suggests coordination skills that essential in pre-literate society i.e. tribes may be mostly irrelevant to intelligent behaviour for most people in a literate and more developed society
-reading and writing considered intelligent
strength-cultural bias is that cross cultural research challenges western assumptions
one of the great benefits of conducting cross cultural research is that it may challenge our typically western ways of thinking and viewing the world. understanding that the knowledge and concepts we take for granted are not shared by others around the world may promote greater sensitivity to individual differences and cultural relativism in the future. this is a strength because it means the conditions psychologists draw are likely to have more validity if they recognise the role of cultures in bringing them about
strength-cultural bias is the distinction between individualism and collectivism
psychologists have often referred to culture in the context of individualism versus collectivism. Individualists culture is associated with western countries who are thought to value personal freedom and independence. collectivist cultures are said to be place more empathy on independence and the needs of the group.however, critics argue this is a lazy and simplistic distribution that no longer applies. take no and okano found that 14 out of 15 studies comparing the Us and Japan found no evidence of the traditional distinction between individualism and collectivism. this is a strength because it suggests that cultural bias in research may be less of an issue than it once was
weakness-cross cultural research is prone to demand characteristics
when conducting research in western culture the ppts familiarity with the general aims and objectives of scientific research is assumed. However, in cultures without historical experience of research, local populations may be more affected by demand characteristics than western participants. this is a weakness because unfamiliarity with the research tradition threatens the validity of the outcome which can impact the research findings
weakness-difficulties with the interpretation of variables
the issue with conducting research in differnent cultures is that the variable under review may not be experienced in the same way by all participants. emotions may give rise to different behaviours with a native population compared to the west. for example in china the invasion of personal space is seen as normal whereas in the west this may be seen as threatening or confrontational. this is a weakness because issues lie these may affect the interactions between the researcher and participants in cross-cultural studies and this may reduce the validity of the results
