Chapter 2

Question 1

evaluating cross cultural research

why is it important to understand CC research methods?

Answer 1

1. the ability to understand CC research is an integral part of learning about the relationship between culture and psychology
2. to be informed and critical
3. to be able to evaluate research

Question 2

cross cultural comparisons

Answer 2

• studies comparing cultures on psychological variables
• backbone of and most commone type of cross cultural study
• phase 1 studies in cross cultural psychology
• methodological concerns with cross cultural comparisons
  
  1. equivalence
  2. response bias
  3. interpreting and analyzing data

Question 3

equivalence

Answer 3

• similarity in conceptual meaning and empirical method between cultures that allows comparisons to be meaningful
• lack of equivalence= bias
• lingustic: semantic equivalence of research protocols across various languages
  
  • back translation
  • commitee approach
• measurement: degree to which measures in different cultures are equally valid and reliable
  
  • cross cultural validation
• sampling: degree to which samples are represntative of their culture and equivalent on noncultural demographic variables
• procedural: equivalence in procedures used to collect data in different cultures
• theoretical: equivalence in meaning of overall theoretical framework being tested and specific hypotheses being addressed. theories we develop are influenced by our culture

Question 4

Response bias

Answer 4

• systematic tendency to respond in a certain way to items or scales
• types of response bias

1. socailly desirable responding- tendency to give answers thar make self look good
2. acquiescence bias- tendency to agree to items
3. extreme response bias- tendency to pick ends or scales or to pick middle
4. reference group effect- tendency to compare themselves with others in their group

Question 5

interpreting and analyzing data

Answer 5

• effect size analysis- statistical procedure to determine the degree to which differences in mean values reflect meaningful differences among individuals
• cause-effect versus correlation interpretation- cultural groups cannot be manipulated or randomly assigned; therefore researchers cannot make casual inference that culture caused differences in psychological variables
• cultural attribution fallacy- attributing cause of between-group differences as culture without empirical justification
• researcher bias- researchers interpretation of data biased by researchers cultural filters/differences
• dealing with nonequivalent data- all cross cultural studies are nonequivalent
  
  • preclude comparison, reduce nonequivalence in data, interpret nonequivalence, ignore nonequivalence

Question 6

ecological-level studies

Answer 6

• phase 2 studies in cross cultural psychology
• studies using countries or cultures as unit of analysis
• data averaged for each culture and used as data points for each culture
• indentification of ecological-level dimensions important because:
  
  • used a theoretical framework to predict and explain cultural differences
  • examine relation between different ecological-level data

Question 7

cultural studies

Answer 7

• phase 3 studies in cross cultural psychology
• studies with rich descriptions of complex theoretical models of culture that predict and explain differences
  
  • individualism vs collectivism
• limitation: link between culture and psychological variable