Cultural bias

• What is cultural bias?

  Cultural bias is when culture prevails over others so that their beliefs, attitudes, values, and behaviours are viewed as the norm. 
• what are the two types of cultural bias?

  There are two forms of cultural bias. alpha bias is when researchers over emphasise the differences between cultures and beta bias is when researchers downplay or ignore differences between cultures. 
• give an example of alpha bias?

  from past research, we would expect individualistic cultures to be less conformist as they are less orientated towards group norms, and collectivistic cultures to be more conformist, however Takano and Osaka reviewed 15 studies that compared the US and Japan in terms of collectivist/individualism and found that 14 out of 15 studies did not support the common view about differences in conformity. This suggests that there is less of a collectivist/individualist divide in an increasingly global world. 
• when do issues in cultural bias occur?

  Issues usually occur when ethnocentrism is present in research. This is when researchers with a culturally biased study evaluate other cultures using the standards of their own.
• give an example of ethnocentrism?

  For example, Ainsworth’s Strange Situation suggested that a secure attachment was only characterised by moderate separation and stranger anxiety. Therefore, German mothers, whose children showed little separation and stranger anxiety (thus being insecure-avoidant according to Ainsworth’s system), were deemed as cold and rejecting. 
• What are the consequences of cultural bias?

  sterotypes/prejudice

  less funding to some researchers
• elaborate on stereotypes and prejudice as a consequence of cultural bias part 1 ?

  Culturally biased research can have significant real-world effects by, for example, amplifying and validating damaging stereotypes, this is because the individualistic westernised viewpoint/behaviour becomes the ‘norm’ or the model for behaviour. An example of this is the prevalence of IQ tests to measure intelligence globally. This is a problem because where western societies see intelligence as something within the individual, collectivist societies see it as a functional relationship depending on shared…
• elaborate on stereotypes and prejudice as a consequence of cultural bias part 2 ?

   information between the group. This results in collectivist cultures appearing less intelligent. Socially sensitive bias like this can result in prejudice, discrimination and racism being viewed as normal and acceptable, which should not be encouraged, as it could provide a scientific ‘justification’ to deny women opportunities in a workplace or wider society. This has damaging effects on the lives and prospects of women.
• elaborate on less funding as a consequence of cultural bia?

  An additionally consequence of culturally biased research is that researchers from the discriminated cultures may receive less funding for psychological research as their role as serious psychologists may be questioned. 
• how do we reduce cultural bias?

  acknowledge when it occurs

  indigenous researchers
• elaborate on acknowledging it as a resolution to cultural bias?

  The first step to resolving some of the consequences caused by culturally biased research is to identify when it occurs. Smith and Bond conducted a survey on social psychology and found that 66% of psychological research was American, 32% European and only 2% from the rest of the world. This suggests that a majority of psychological research is unrepresentative and lacks ecological validity and universality. 
• elaborate on indigenous researchers as a resolution of cultural bias?

  research should be conducted world wide, however the theory of cultural relativism suggests that a culture cannot be judged properly unless viewed in the perspective that it originates from. to overcome this, indigenous researchers should be used for each cultural setting with sufficient funding, to avoid imposed etic and cultural bias. However this becomes an issue when conducting cross-cultural research as the operationalisation of variables needs to stay constant otherwise the validity of the research can be questioned.