Cultural bias Flashcards
(26 cards)
Culture bias definition
the tendency of people to make assumptions about the behaviour of others based on their own cultural norms or practices
Why is there culture bias in psychology?
-Much traditional psychology is rooted in western culture
-This is because many researchers and participants are from western cultures
-This means theories developed in one culture, are then applied inappropriately to other cultures.
-Researchers findings are interpreted from the viewpoint of the researchers own culture
=culture bias
Western vs eastern culture
W= individualistic, capitalism, democracy
E=collectivist, communism, equally shared goals/ values
Cross cultural research definition
Research that aims to investigate whether cultural practices have impact on behaviour
+good but barriers making it difficult
-impractical, time consuming, expensive
Ethnocentrism definition
The use of our own ethnic or cultural group as a basis of judgement for other groups
(mainly from western lens)
Cultural relativism definition
the idea that all cultures are different and equally worthy of respect
(how we should study behaviour)
Alpha bias definiiton
a consequence of ethnocentrism: recognises that cultures are different and devalues them based on the idea that their own culture is better (eg putting western culture on a pedestal)
Beta bias definition
a consequence of ethnocentrism: minimising cultural differences and assuming that all cultures work the same way (generalising)
etic approach
looks at behaviour from outside of a given culture and attempts to find trends that can be generalised(outsider account). An imposed etic is when techniques created in one culture are applied to another (assuming the behaviour is universal when it may not be)
emic approach
looks within/inside cultures and identifies behaviours that are specific to that culture(insider account)
structure of culture bias answer
Intro- define culture bias and why it is present in psychology
Main body(3 of the following-with examples)
-cross cultural studies
-ethnocentrism
-difference or bias
-historical and social context
conclusion; does culture bias exist? can it be avoided? what has been done to try and reduce it?
advantages of cross cultural research
(with example)
-studies can enable us to consider whether behaviours are innate.
if a behaviour is the same in all cultures it suggests it might be part of our genetic makeup
e.g. Buss(1989) looked at relationships in 36 countries and found same mate preferences
disadvantages of cross cultural research
-Western researchers conducting research in a different culture may fail to understand local practices and meanings thus misinterpret ps understanding e.g. Buss interviewed ps in 36 different countries by indigenous researchers making it a difficult and long process
-May use tests or procedures that have been developed in US and not valid in another culture(imposed etc)
-Group of ps may not be representative of that culture-making generalisation of whole culture/country
-Observer bias-observers expectations alter what they ‘see’, investigator effects, ps try to guess what answers the researcher would like to hear and then provide these answers
Cross cultural studies problems
Smith&Bond (1998) outlined some problems of cross cultural research, which highlights the idea that cross cultural studies may not before from culture bias.
-Translation: giving instructions verbally or in written form means that findings must be translated, the true meaning of findings could be ‘lost in translation’
-Participants: using similar ps to the original study does not mean they will have the same social background or experiences, this may impact the findings.
-Research tradition: some cultures are used in scientific research and respond to taking part in a positive manner. However, this trust in research process should not be taken for granted in cultures where it is not common place. This could affect natural behaviour.»_space;> other cultures may not be welcome to people studying behaviour as it may not be common practice and they may not understand the scientific practices and find it hard to trust. Could affect their behaviour and then further more their ecosystem and way of life
Conclusion of cross cultural research
Idea of cross cultural research is to identify if behaviours are universal or not which is useful. Methods used may not give accurate and valid results- findings harder to find from other cultures that aren’t western cultures- issues such as imposed etics.
Through cross cultural studies we may not be getting a true understanding of how cultures differ or are similar due to the many problems that may arise.
What did Myers and diender find in terms of differences in happiness and SWB? (difference or bias argument)
People in individualistic cultures report higher SWB in comparison to collectivist cultures= due to differences in what they value
Individualistic cultures, people are prioritising their needs and wellbeing meaning they are more likely to have higher wellbeing furthermore it is easier to make yourself happy than others.
In collectivist culture, they are focussing on needs of the group and so they don’t feature their own happiness instead focussing on others, which can be much more difficult.
in M&D study- SWB was measured using a questionnaire created by Western psychologists… Why is this an issue?
Imposed etic- the definition of subjective wellbeing in the west will be different to that of the east due to the differing values of culture. what makes western people happy doesn’t necessarily make eastern people happy, vice versa.
Therefore, it may seem that cultures are different in terms of wellbeing but the measures used to test SWB are biased and therefore may not truly reflect the wellbeing of collectivist cultures included in the research.
What can we do to minimise the bias when conducting research on different cultures?
-Indigenous psychologies: psychology carried out by members of that specific culture themselves.
-Emic approach: acknowledging that some phenomena may only apply in particular cultures. Therefore, theories for one culture are developed by using research carried out in that culture and cannot be applied cross culturally.
Conclusion for difference or bias
Cross cultural differences aims to identify genuine differences in cultural effects of human behaviour. however it is not always clear in the best way to approach. Therefore to ensure genuine cross cultural differences are found we need to employ a more emic approach and study cultures with an indigenous psychologist.
ethnocentrism- > Alpha bias
Alpha bias occurs when differences between cultures are exaggerated due to the belief that our own culture is superior to another
Example: Milgrams research. American psychologist- believed ‘Germans are different” due to the atrocities in WW2. But found that American people would also follow authority blindly to the point of inflicting harm. Alpha bias- disregard behaviour like situational obedience as being universal.
ethnocentrism -> beta bias
Beta bias involves minimising differences between cultures and assuming they all work inthe same way.
Example: Kohlberg’s research. American psychologist-moral dilemmas. Used across cultures but were designed in the west and so dilemma wasn’t culturally relevant ro all involved in study (imposted etic); Taiwan, Mexico ,Turkey.
However Kohlberg did adopt the dilemmas for ps in Taiwan by changing the dilemma of stealing drugs for dying wife to stealing food. As this was more relevant. This ensured that the results were culturally relative to the people of Taiwan.
Conclusion for ethnocentrism
Therefore, ethnocentrism is a key factor in culture bias in psychology and so for an objective view this needs to be avoided. therefore we should aim to understand cultural relativism= understanding that cultures are different and should be understood from own perspective.
However doing this completely can minimise similarities In cultures + existence of universal behaviours.
Historical and social context; students as a subculture
Culture bias can also occur across different sub-cultures and time periods.
One issue of bias is the use of students In the majority of psychological research.
Sears(1986) reported that 82% of studies used undergraduates as ps in psychological research, 51% of these were psychology students.
Historical and social context why is it an issue that students are used in majority of psych research and how has this trend changed?
-Students are same norms, values-difficult to generalise findings beyond population.
-Psych students may find it easier to guess aims of study so have to deal with demand characteristics that may affect validity of findings.
-Considerable amount of psych research is conducted on white, middle class, male young adults.
However: trend has changed.
-there is a more diverse student sample now compared to historical studies. eg more international students, more mature/online leaners, 57% female, bursary/scholarship/financial aid to assist more working class to be the first in family to attend uni.
