Issues – Culture in Psychology Flashcards
(11 cards)
Define cultural universality.
The idea that there are behaviours that occur across cultures due to the same explanation.
E.g. facial expressions for emotions such as happiness and sadness are the same in all cultures.
Explain what is meant by culture bias.
Culture bias refers to when research does not represent the behaviour of one culture, leading to that culture’s behaviour being misrepresented.
Give an example of culture bias in Psychology.
Social influence research (e.g. conformity, obedience) was conducted in the US but generalised to all cultures. Later research showed that collectivist cultures (e.g. China, Japan) had higher conformity/obedience, showing that cultural attitudes influence behaviour.
Define ethnocentrism (a type of culture bias).
Ethnocentrism is when a researcher assumes their own culture’s behaviours are natural/right. If other cultures behave differently, those behaviours are seen as abnormal or inferior.
Give an example of ethnocentrism in Psychology.
Ainsworth’s Strange Situation is ethnocentric as it was based on American norms. When used in Germany and Japan, infants were wrongly classified as insecurely attached, and mothers were unfairly labelled due to different cultural child-rearing practices.
Using an example, explain what is meant by cultural relativism.
Cultural relativism means researchers must evaluate behaviour within the cultural context it occurs.
E.g. hearing voices in Afro-Caribbean cultures is a spiritual experience, but UK psychiatrists might misdiagnose it as schizophrenia due to not recognising cultural norms.
Identify ways of reducing culture bias and ethnocentrism.
- Apply cultural relativism when interpreting behaviour.
- Conduct more cross-cultural research beyond white Western participants.
- When studying one culture, state clearly that findings apply only to that culture to avoid overgeneralisation.
Discuss one strength of highlighting culture bias in Psychology.
Highlighting culture bias has encouraged more cross-cultural research and the use of cultural relativism, making findings more valid and inclusive.
Discuss another strength of addressing culture bias in Psychology.
More inclusive research practices now ensure conclusions are culturally sensitive and representative, improving the cultural relevance of psychological theories.
Discuss one limitation of culture bias in Psychology.
A limitation is that culture bias has contributed to misdiagnoses. E.g. Afro-Caribbean individuals are more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia in the UK due to cultural misunderstandings.
Discuss another limitation of culture bias in Psychology.
Despite improvements, most psychological research still comes from white Western samples. E.g. 94% of studies in social psychology textbooks are from the US, reflecting ongoing culture bias.
