CULTURE

• CULTURE BIAS

  
  

  tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all phenomena of one's own culture, so behaviour in NON-WEIRD cultures is seen as abnormal or unusual

  
  

  Americans and students over-represented in research = a review found that 68% of participants come from the USA, and 96% from industrialised nations (HENRICH ET AL, 2010) 
• CULTURE BIAS

  
  

  Another review found that 80% of participants were undergraduates studying psychology (ARNETT, 2008)

  WEIRD people set standard = HENRICH ET AL = the term WEIRD best describes people who are most likely to be studied by psychologists 

  • WESTERNISED
  • EDUCATED people from 
  • INDUSTRIALISED 
  • RICH 
  • DEMOCRACIES 

  If these people set the standards for particular behaviours then the behaviour of people from non-western, less educated, agricultural and poorer cultures are seen as ‘abnormal’ , ‘unusual’ 
• Ethnocentrism (superiority of own culture)


   a form of culture bias = one group is more superior. It involves judging other cultures by the standards and values of one's own culture. This superiority may lead to prejudice and discrimination towards other cultures.
• example of ethnocentrism

  AINSWORTH'S STRANGE SITUATION. 

  AINSWORTH + BELLS (1970) research on attachment type reflected the norms of US culture. = the ideal (secure) attachment was defined as a baby showing moderate distress when left alone by the mother figure. = lead to misinterpretation of child-rearing practices in other countries. = japan - babies rarely left alone, more likely to be classified as insecurely attached as they showed distress on separation (TAKAHASHI, 1986)
• Cultural relativism (helps to avoid cultural bias)


  one cannot judge a behaviour properly unless it is viewed in the context of the culture in which it originates.
• Universality vs cultural relativism (etic and emic approaches) 


  Universality vs cultural relativism (etic and emic approaches) = 

  BERRY (1969) argues that:

  • An etic approach looks at behaviour from outside a given culture and identifies behaviours that are universal. 
  • An emic approach functions from inside a culture and identifies behaviours that are specific to that culture.

  AINSWORTH + BELLS research shows an imposed etic - they studied behaviours inside a single culture (america) and then assumed their ideal attachment type could be applied universally. 
• WHY CULTURAL BIAS EXISTS + CONSEQUENCES 

  1. Bias in research methods = ARNETT (2008)

  Reviewed studies and found that 80% of research participants were undergraduate students studying psychology. 

  This suggests that psychological research is based on middle-class academic, young adults (often male), which therefore shows that findings are severely underrepresented. 
• WHY CULTURAL BIAS EXISTS + CONSEQUENCES

  1. Consequences of cultural bias - biased research helps to create or reinforce ethnic stereotypes. BACKED UP = GOULD (1981)

  US Army IQ tests led to eugenic social policies. Many of the questions on the test were ethnocentric EG assuming everyone would know the names of the US presidents. Recruits from South-Eastern Europe + African-Americans scored lowest. Ethnic minorities were deemed (mentally unfit) + (feeble-minded), who were denied educational + professional opportunities in comparison to the white majority. 
• REDUCING BIAS 

  1. The worldwide psychology community = 

  Researchers in psychology, like most people, travel much more than they did 50 years ago. 

  They have an increased understanding of other cultures at a personal and professional level. Academics hold international conferences where researchers from many different countries and cultures regularly meet to discuss and exchange ideas. This is how DAVID BUSS found his researchers in 37 different cultures. 
• LINKS 


  ASCH study on conformity assessed participants willingness to change their answers to a simple line study in response to hearing confederates give the wrong answer. Asch's study showed etic bias because it only studied conformity in American participants but asch then generalised the findings to groups that had not been studied. Future research actually showed cultural variations in conformity rates. 
• (-) CULTURE BIAS 


  Biassed research = biassed theories - psychologists making claims that aren't true. it can affect psychological practices; understanding + treating abnormality. COCHRANE = african-caribbeans in the UK were 7x more likely than white people to be diagnosed with sz. rates of sz are no higher in the Caribbean than in England = they dont have a genetic disposition to the disorder. = result of culturally biased assumptions influencing how we interpret people's beh. It seems all ppls behaviour is judged against norms for the white pop. regardless of where they are originally from.
• (-) CULTURE BIAS 


  There are issues with cross-cultural research as well, as even with a translator it can be difficult to interpret what people say and do which can lead to us misinterpreting behaviour. In addition research may still be ethnocentric if the behaviour is then judged against the researcher's own culture.
• (-) CULTURE BIAS 


  Because cultural bias is not usually intentional it can be difficult to prevent, however there are some ways: 

  • Cultural relativism should be recognised i.e acknowledging that there are no universal standards for behaviour and that all research should take into account where they take place.
  • Samples should be representative of all the groups in which you intend to generalise the findings to. 
  • BERRY suggested that research should be carried out in a meaningful context with local researchers from the culture being studied to avoid the problems of an imposed etic.