cultural bias-ISSUES AND DEBATES

Question 1

in 1992, ____ % of the worlds 56,000 psychology researchers were American

Answer 1

64%

Question 2

AO1- cultural bias

Answer 2

• critics argue that psychology has ignored the influence of culture on human behaviour and in doing so has mistakenly assumed that findings from studies in Western cultures can be straightforwardly applied to the rest of the world.
• Asch and Milgram studies originally conducted in Western cultures had different results when carried out on other parts of the world.
• If the ‘norm’ or ‘standard’ for a particular behaviour is judged from the standpoint of one particular culture, then any behaviour that deviates from this standard is seen as ‘ abnormal’

Question 3

What is ethnocentrism?

Answer 3

• a form of cultural bias where researchers believe in the superiority of their own cultural groups

eg Ainsworth’s strange situation reflects only the norms and values of American culture, and that the defining feature in attachment type is anxiety upon separation. she suggested secure attachment is shown when the child shows moderate distress when left alone by mother figure.

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this led to German mothers being labelled as cold and rejected rather than encouraging independence in their children

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so strange situation is an inappropriate measure of attachment type in children outside of the USA.