Cultural bias

• Key terms of cultural bias?

  • Universality - Theories should attempt to develop 
  • Cultural bias - When research does not represent the experience and behaviour of all cultures
  • Ethnocentrism - Using a particular culture’s superiority/norms as a standard for the rest of other cultures 
  • Cultural relativism - Behaviour cannot be understood properly unless viewed in context of the specific culture
• Cultural bias in more detail?

  • This is the distorted view that psychologists have because of their own culture.
  • This bias can affect theories and how studies are conducted.
  • Critics argue that psychology ignores culture as an important influence.
  • It assumes findings of studies can generalise to all over the world. 
• Ethnocentrism in more detail?

  • This is a form of cultural bias where people see the world from their own perspective, leading to the belief that their own culture group is superior.
  • This can lead to prejudice or discrimination. 
• Technique showing cultural bias/ethnocentrism?

  • The Strange Situation was devised in the US for measuring attachment styles in US children.
  • It may not be a valid measuring tool as it is largely based on experience of separation and reflects the culture of the US. 
• Examples of the strange situation?

  • German parents may be seen as cold and uncaring towards their child and are insecure avoidant but in reality they have been raised to be independent.
  • Japanese mothers could be judged as bad mothers as their babies appear to be insecure, but the child rarely leaves its mother so it will be very upset and confused in this strange situation.
• Criteria showing cultural bias/ethnocentrism?

  • Jahoda said that you need the following for mental health: a positive attitude towards oneself, personal autonomy, an accurate perception of reality.
  • However, this is culturally biased as personal autonomy is an individualistic ideal.
  • In collectivist societies, people are interdependent as they act together for the good of the group.
  • Being autonomous is abnormal. Perceptions of reality can differ between cultures like the Trobriand tribe who believed that the spirits of flying witches had to fuse with a woman in order to be pregnant.
• Cultural relativism?


  • Behaviour cannot be understood unless context of the culture is also considered.
  • Any study which draws its sample from only one cultural context and then generalises, is invalid.
  • The Strange situation is one example of an imposed etic approach.
  • This is the use of a technique developed in one culture and used in a different one.
  • In assuming the US model as a standard for all attachments across all cultures, she imposed her own cultural standard. 
• Etic and Emic approach?

  An etic approach looks at behaviour from outside of the culture but an emic approach looks at behaviour within the culture. 
• Accurate perception? (cultural relativism)

  • Perceptions between different cultures can differ because of religious and cultural beliefs.
  • The Trobriand tribe who believed that the spirits of flying witches had to fuse with a woman in order to be pregnant.
  • In the West, we would see these ideas as an inaccurate perception of reality.
  • This would be deemed abnormal through Jahoda’s criteria of the ideal mental health and there could be incorrect diagnosis of abnormality cross culturally. 
• Another example of different accurate perception? (cultural relativism?

  • The Efe tribe in Zaire share the care of the infants with many women breastfeeding the same babies.
  • Our cultural bias leads us to think that babies should be breastfed by their own mothers but in tribal communities, shared feedings give babies more chance of survival.
  • The Efe tribe would probably think it strange to give powdered milk instead.
• Positive evaluation of benefitting?

  • It can challenge our typical western way of thinking.
  • Being able to see knowledge that is granted not shared with other people promotes greater sensitivity to cultural differences.
  • This understanding leads to less judgement and discrimination.
  • Psychologists were able to travel more than 50 years ago.
  • Conferences are held so researchers understand cultures on a personal level.
  • This means researchers from different cultures meet and share ideas.
  • Buss was able to have local researchers in each of his 37 cultures, reducing ethnocentrism.
• Irrelevant distinction between cultures?

  • Psychologists use the terms of “collectivist” and “individualistic” to differentiate
  • Individualistic cultures favour personal freedom but collectivist cultures want interdependence and needs of the group.
  • Critics argued that with modern global communication and development of countries a lazy and simplistic distinction between cultures no longer applies
  • A review found 14/15 studies found no evidence of the traditional sense of collectivist and individualistic cultures
  • This suggests that cultural bias is not a issue as cultures are similar 
• Common nature of humanity?

  • It cannot be assumed that all human behaviour is culturally relative as universal human behaviour does exist.
  • Ekman (1988) suggests that facial human expressions are the same all over the world.
  • Some features of human attachment are universal such as imitation and interactional synchrony.
  • Therefore, for a full understanding of human behaviour we need to study both universal behaviour and variation among individuals and groups. 
• Negative evaluation regarding discrimination?

  • In US IQ tests, white Americans performed best followed by European immigrants and lastly African-Americans.
  • The data from these tests show the attitudes held by Americans led to the interpretation that white people were intellectually superior.
  • This resulted in immigration restrictions and discrimination.
  • For example, research examining racial differences in IQ has been used to justify new forms of social control.
• Discrimination evaluation part 2? (evidence)

  • Between 1907 and 1963, over 64,000 people were sterilised under eugenics legislation in the USA and in 1972, the US senate committee revealed that over 2,000 women had been sterilised without knowing.
  • This social control was deemed to be justified by research findings which argued that black Americans had lower IQ scores in comparison to white Americans.
  • We know now that these results were rather due to cultural bias favouring Americans.
  • Some of these views exist today. This highlights the negative impact of culturally biased research.