Cultural bias

• What do psychologists seek in their research?

  Universality
• What is a common criticism of psychological studies?

  Findings may only apply to studied groups
• What assumption do researchers often make about Western research findings?

  They can be applied globally
• What did Asch and Milgram's studies reveal when replicated outside the USA?

  Different results compared to the USA
• How are cultural differences in behavior often judged?

  As 'abnormal' or 'inferior'
• What does ethnocentrism imply about other cultures?

  They are viewed as deficient
• What is a key belief associated with ethnocentrism?

  One cultural group is superior
• What did Ainsworth identify as the key variable in attachment?

  Anxiety on separation
• How did Ainsworth's research misinterpret child-rearing practices?

  By applying American norms to other cultures
• Why was the Strange Situation criticized for non-US children?

  It was deemed inappropriate for them
• What does respecting cultural relativism help avoid?

  Cultural bias in research
• What do 'facts' discovered by psychologists depend on?

  The cultural perspective of the researchers
• What do the etic and emic approaches refer to?

  Universal and culture-specific behaviors
• What does the etic approach focus on?

  Behaviors from outside a given culture
• What does the emic approach focus on?

  Behaviors specific to certain cultures
• How is Ainsworth's research categorized in terms of etic and emic?

  It is an imposed etic
• What are the strengths of recognizing cultural relativism and universality in psychology?

  • Acknowledges culturally-specific nature of psychology
  • Challenges Western assumptions
  • Promotes sensitivity to individual differences
• What are the limitations of cross-cultural research?

  • Prone to demand characteristics
  • Interpretation of variables may vary
  • Affects validity of findings
• What are demand characteristics in cross-cultural research?

  Participants' familiarity with research aims
• How can unfamiliarity with research traditions affect validity?

  It threatens the validity of outcomes
• How might emotions affect cross-cultural research interactions?

  They may lead to different behaviors
• What is a potential effect of different emotional experiences in participants?

  It may reduce the validity of findings
• What is it called when theories try to generalise, in a way that applies to everyone?

  nomothetic approach
• what is universality?

  when a theory applies to everyone
• When researchers misrepresent the differences between cultures, it’s called…

  cultural bias
• what is it called when someone focuses on their own cultural perspective ?

  Ethnocentrism
• what does ethnocentrism include?

  • individuals assuming their culture is more important or correct
  • seeing other culturual practices as abnormal
• When researchers generalise their findings to everyone, they claim...

  universality
• One example of ethnocentric bias is Mary ainsworth’s research on 

  attachment styles.
• whats ethnocentric bias?

  Ethnocentric bias is when psychology research lacks validity/reliability as a result of focusing on one culture.
• what is cultural relativism?

  behaviours must be understood from a specific cultures perspective
• what does cultural relativism prevent?

  enthocentric bias
• what does ethnocentric bias lack? (2 things)

  1. validity
  2. reliability
• ethnocentrism can lead to what?

  • other cultures feeling devalued
  • it can reinforce negative sterotypes
• cultural relativism may lead to...

  alpha bias
• cross cultural research involves....

  research being carried out in different cultures, to see if theories generalise, or if there are cultural variations.
• what is cultural relativism?

  idea that behaviour can only be properly understood/have meaning if it meets norms of society/culture it occurs in