seeing things from the point of ourselves and our social group. Evaluating ourther groups of people using the standard's and customs of one's own culture
usually a superiority issue
e.g. supporting your own football team and believeing that they are the best team in the whole world
EthnocentricAlpha and Beta Bias
ethnocentrism is an example of alpha bias because your considering your own culture to be different and better , resulting the consequence of believeing that other cultures and their practises should be devalued
ethnocentrism can lead to beta bias if the psychologist believes that their world view is the only view (they are ignoring al other views)
Cultural Realitivism
the view that behaviour cannot b judged properly unless it is viewed in the context of the culture in which it originates
can lead to alpha bias - assumptions of real differences leads psychologists to overlook universals (Mead in Papa New Guinea)
can lead to beta bias - mainly through mental disorder - what is considered to be normal in one culture may not be in another (deviation from social norms)
Consequences of Cultural Bias
P - creates socially sensitive research
E - US Army IQ test, used western standards of intelligence resuting in many immigrants and African-Americans not passing the test and ending up on the front lines
E - easily can lead to stereotypes being further reinforced or created
L - becomes an issue and should be avoided
Emic + EticDistance
P - many research is "emic" focusing on only the one culture and specific cultural phenomena, creates the issue of non-generalisability without bias
E - "etic" is better approach because it seeks universals of behaviour - can be done by using indigenous psychologists to not create bias
E - David Buss - studied mate preference where data was collected from 37 different culture, which used indigenous psychs.
C/A - many researchers believe they are etic when they are emic (e.g. Ainsworth's SS)
Indigenous Psychologies
P - counter ethnoc. by encouraging indigenous psychologies
E - Afrocentrism - central ideas that all black people have roots in Africa + psych theories about these people should be African-centred and represent African values
E - disputes European values being universally appropriate and thatthey devalue non-Europeans and are irrelevant to life and culture of African People
L - Led to dev of theories relevant to life and culture of African people