Culture in Psych

• cultural universality


  The idea that there are behaviours that occur across cultures due to the same explanation i.e. some human behaviours are universal. For example, basic facial expressions for emotions such as happiness and disgust are the same in all cultures.
• culture bias


  refers to when psychological research does not represent the behaviour of a culture. This could be because

  any cultural differences have been ignored/minimised, over-exaggerated or misinterpreted. This can therefore result in a misrepresentation of behaviour in a culture.
• What was the issue with the conclusions drawn from US studies on conformity and obedience?

  They were applied universally without considering culture
• What did later research reveal about conformity and obedience rates in different cultures?

  They showed very different rates across cultures
• Which cultures showed higher average conformity rates?

  Collectivist cultures
• What was the highest recorded obedience level in Milgram’s research?

  Spanish participants
• Which group had the lowest obedience rate in Milgram’s research?

  Australian participants
• How do cultural values influence conformity levels?

  They are influenced by unity or independence values
• What influences obedience levels according to the study?

  Cultural attitudes to authority
• Ethnocentrism 


  Ethnocentrism is a type of culture bias that refers to when a researcher assumes that their own culture’s behaviours are ‘natural/right’. This means that if other cultures differ, they are regarded as abnormal or perceived in a negative light. In extreme cases, this can lead to prejudice and discrimination of other cultures.
• Why is Ainsworth’s Strange Situation considered ethnocentric?

  It reflects American norms and values
• What does Ainsworth propose about infants with secure attachment?

  They show moderate distress when left alone
• How did Ainsworth's research misinterpret child-rearing practices in other cultures?

  It judged them based on American standards
• What was observed about German infants in Ainsworth’s study?

  They showed less distress when separated
• What misconception arose about German mothers due to Ainsworth's findings?

  They were seen as cold and rejecting
• What does the term "independence" refer to in the context of German child-rearing practices?

  Encouraging children to be self-reliant
• What conclusion can be drawn about the Strange Situation's appropriateness across cultures?

  It is inappropriate for measuring attachment types
• Cultural relativism 


  Cultural relativism aims to avoid ethnocentrism. It argues that researchers must consider a person’s behaviour as part of their culture before making a judgement. This means considering the context and social norms within a culture without comparing it to your own/other cultures. As a result, there is no right or wrong behaviour.
• An example of cultural relativism

  Auditory hallucinations, seen as a symptom of schizophrenia in American and UK diagnostic manuals, are a sign of powers in some other cultures. This means that auditory hallucinations rarely cause distress to those experiencing them and, for this reason, are not regarded as a mental illness in those cultures. Cultural relativism is therefore important when diagnosing schizophrenia to avoid unnecessary diagnoses and treatment.
• Outline of cultural bias

  Does not represent the behaviour of a culture. This is because any cultural differences has been ignored/minimised, over-exaggerated or misinterpreted. Result in a misrepresentation of behaviour in that culture. One type of culture bias is ethnocentrism whereby a researcher assumes that their own culture's behaviour are 'natural/right'. Meaning that if other cultures differ, they are regarded as abnormal. - could lead to discrimination of other cultures.
• One example of culture bias in psychology comes from social influence studies of conformity and obedience.

  whereby the findings were applied universally despite only being originally conducted with US participants.
• collectivist and individualist cultures

  However, it was later found that there was a higher average conformity rate among collectivist cultures than individualist cultures, and obedience rates differed depending on the culture being investigated (e.g. highest in Spanish participants and lowest in Australians).
• Ainsworth's strange situation research on Ethnocentrism

  an example of ethnocentrism in Psychology can be seen in Ainsworth’s strange situation research whereby, based on American norms and values, Ainsworth proposed that an infant with a secure attachment would show moderate amounts of distress when left alone by their mother. However, this led to misinterpretation of child-rearing practices in other cultures which deviated e.g. German infants were less likely to show separation anxiety which led German mothers being perceived as cold when in reality they encourage more independence.
• What is a limitation of culture bias in psychology?

  Negative implications for diagnosing disorders across cultures
• How much more likely are Afro-Caribbean individuals in Britain to be diagnosed with schizophrenia compared to white individuals?

  Seven times more likely
• Why is the diagnosis of schizophrenia in Afro-Caribbean individuals an issue?

  Western clinicians may misinterpret cultural behaviors
• How might cultural beliefs affect perceptions of hallucinations in African cultures?

  They may view them as acceptable communication
• What can result from a higher possibility of incorrect diagnosis due to culture bias?

  Labelling and stigmatisation leading to long-term problems
• What long-term problem can arise from stigmatisation due to incorrect diagnosis?

  Difficulties in gaining employment
• What is one potential long-term problem caused by stigmatisation from misdiagnosis?

  Gaining employment difficulties
• positive advancements to psychological research.

  researchers now conduct cross-cultural research while considering cultural relativism (whereby they consider a person’s behaviour as part of their culture before making a judgement). This is a strength because it prevents researchers from comparing a culture’s norms to their own/other cultures in order to perceive it as right or wrong. In turn, it has helped to reduce prejudice and discrimination towards other cultures. This therefore highlights the importance of recognising gender bias in

  Psychology.
• culture bias remains an ongoing issue in psychological research.

  For example, a piece of research found that 94% of the studies cited in Social Psychology textbooks were conducted in the US. This is a limitation because such a statistic suggests that psychology is mainly the study of white Americans which may not represent the behaviour of those in other cultures. This therefore highlights the ongoing culture bias in Psychology.