Culture Bias

What did Takahashi find about the strange situation?

Aimed to see whether the Strange Situation is a valid procedure for cultures other than the original. Takashi found no children in the avoidant-insecure stage, this could be explained in cultural terms as Japanese children are taught that such behaviour is impolite and they would be actively discouraged from displaying it. Also because Japanese children experience much less separation, the SSC was more than mildly stressful. As a result, the Strange Situation represents more of a threat to them than it usually does to Western infants - yet this is interpreted via the SS as insecure resistant attachment, which is not necessarily an accurate measure of their attachment. Imposing USA norms onto another culture with the idea that those values are universal is an imposed etic. This means using the SS to measure attachment in other cultures lacks validity because it is not an accurate measure of attachment when used on non-American children.

What is an imposed epic approach example?

Ainworth's research is one example of imposed etic in psychology. In assuming that the US-based model of classifying attachment was the norm, Ainsworth imposed her own cultural understanding of the rest of the world. Ainsworth's research is an example of imposedetic- she studied behaviour within a single culture (American) and then assumed her ideal attachment type could be applied universally.

What did Cole, et al suggest about epic approach's?

Cole, et al (1971) studied intelligence using a culture free test of intelligence and so took an unbiased emic approach. They investigated how objects were sorted into groups. Western cultures organised by categories, whereas the African Kpelle culture organised by functional groups, i.e. whether the objects were used together. This suggests that intelligence has different meanings across cultures.

What is the validity of culture bias?

Culturally biased views have been exposed in many areas of psychology.

How could culture bias be reduced?

Equal opportunity legislation aims to rid psychology of cultural bias and racism, but we must be aware merely swapping old, overt racism for new, more subtle forms of racism. One way to do this is to encourage indigenous psychologies. This is where psychology is carried out by the members of a particular culture themselves, rather than Western psychologists. By cultures investigating themselves, rather than being investigated by outsiders who may not grasp the nuances of their culture, researcher bias should be reduced.

What did H. J. Eysenck suggest about epic approach's?

H. J. Eysenck (1981) investigated cultural differences in IQ and claimed that the lower achievement of African Americans on IQ tests was due to innate differences in ability.

What is cultural relativism?

John Berry (1969) has drawn a distinction between etic and emic approaches in the study of human behaviour. An etic approach looks at behaviour from outside of a given culture and attempts to describe those behaviours that are universal. An emic approach functions from within or inside certain cultures and identifies behaviours that are specific to that culture. Berry argues that psychology has often been guilty of imposing an etic approach- arguing that theories, models, concepts etc are universal, when they actually came about through emic research within a single culture.

What did Nobles suggest about the consequences of culture bias?

Nobles (1976) argues that western psychology has been a tool of oppression and dominance. Cultural bias has also made it difficult for psychologists to separate the behaviour they have observed from the context in which they observed it.

What is your conclusion of culture bias?

Overall differences within cultures can be greater than those between cultures, which means that variation is greater within than between cultures. The extent of the actual difference needs to be determined, not ignored (beta bias) or exaggerated (alpha bias) and should be used to increase equality rather than the basis of discrimination. An approach based on cultural relativism provides the means to resolve cultural bias, as such an approach accounts for the differences between cultures rather than trying to provide universal etics. However, this is still too reductionist as it ignores the variation within a culture and certainly within a country, which is usually made up of many subcultures. Thus, future research needs to address subcultural and cultural variations and accept and tolerate differences as differences rather than deficiencies.

What has a lack of researchers contributed to culture bias?

Researcher bias may occur because researchers from other cultures are not appointed to, orpromoted, in academic positions in universities. 'Token' blackpsychologists in a predominantly white department, for example, may find themselves marginalised into areas outside mainstream psychology.

How are results likely to be used by culturally biased researchers?

Results may be interpreted to fit political ideology and thus'scientifically sanction' racist policies such as the eugenics driven policy of restrictingimmigration into the USA during the 1920s and 1930s based on the results of (biased) IQ tests.

How is material likely to be published by culturally biased researchers?

The predominantly white establishment in American and European psychology has filtered out research on black psychology, leading to the need to publish journals and books specifically for black psychology. Around 2/3rd of psychology in the world is North American

What is ethnocentrism?

This refers to a particular form of cultural bias and is a belief in superiority of one's own cultural group. Inpsychological research this may be communicated through a view that any behaviours which do not conform to the model (usually Western) are somehow deficient, unsophisticated or underdeveloped.

What are epic constructs?

analysis of behaviour focuses on UNIVERSALS of human behaviour.Derived etic: assume that most human behaviour is common to humans but that cultural factors influence the development or display of this behaviour, a series of emic studies take place and in local settings, by local researchers using local techniques- cultures are then comparedImposed etic: when a theory is developed in one's own culture is used to study other cultures, so culture is seen to play no role in the development or expression of human behaviour Study behaviour from outside of culture

What is an epic approach?

analysis ofbehaviour focuses on the variedways in which activities and development are observed in any specific cultural setting. The observer attempts to understand the culture by learning the rules, beliefs and so on of a culture from the cultures own logic system. Ignoring these cross-cultural comparisons is invalid. Study behaviour from within the culture

What has the use of labs contributed to culture bias

experimental (laboratory) approach is the most common approach, this is considered a EUROCENTRIC scientific method (based on control over nature, objective and the investigation of individual differences and uniqueness). Nobles (1976) argues such method as being alien to the African concepts of oneness with nature, groupness and similarity. This represent an IMPOSED ETIC. (the study of culture form the outside) when ecologically valid data can onlybe gained from an 'emic' study (from within the culture).

What hypothesis are culturally biased researchers likely to propose?

i) investigate stereotypical differences between races (arbitrary and over-simplified categories based on skin colour) which may ignore cultural influences and perpetuate the stereotypes. ii) do not investigate important cross-cultural differences or similarities.

What did Goddard (1913) suggest about epic approach's?

issued IQ tests to immigrants as they entered America. He argued that 87% of Russians, 83% of Jews,80% of Hungarians, and 79% of Italians were "feeble-minded". These findings were used politically to support a eugenics policy of restricted immigration. This is an emic approach, as it is an attempt to identify cultural differences. It is evidence of cultural bias because the IQ tests were ethnocentric and so imposed etics.

What did Baron and Byrne find?

n 1992, 64% of the world's psychology researchers wereAmerican. In Baron and Byrne's 1991 textbook on social psychology, 94% ofthe studies were conducted in North America. Statistics such as these would suggest that, as well as being male- dominated discipline, psychology is the study of white American

What is culture bias?

norm or standard for a particular behaviour is judged only from the standpoint of one particular culture, then any cultural differences in behaviour- that deviate from this standard will inevitablybeen seen as 'abnormal' or 'unusual'. Thisis cultural bias.

How are results likely to be interpreted by culturally biased researchers?

results that show cultural differences may be reported in a way that make Non-American/European cultures appear deviant fromthe 'norm' or inferior.

What has biased sampling of subjects contributed to cultural bias?

the vast majority (approx 95%) of the most famous studies in American and European Psychology only used white subjects.Who's guilty? Asch, Milgram, Ainsworth can you think back to any more?