111564
Cultural Bias In Psychology
- Alpha bias
- assumes there are real
and enduring differences
between cultural groups
- example
- Takano and Osaka (1999)
reviewed 15 studies that
compared the US and
Japan in terms or
individualism/collectivism
Annotations:
- Individualism - the principle of being independent collectivism - the principle of giving a group priority over each individual
- found 14/15
studies did
NOT support
the common
view
- we would expect members of individualist
cultures to be less conformist because they
are less orientated towards group norms
- Takano and Osaka (1999)
reviewed 15 studies that
compared the US and
Japan in terms or
individualism/collectivism
- example
- assumes there are real
and enduring differences
between cultural groups
- Beta bias
- ignores or minimises
cultural differences
- example
- intelligence tests are
devised by Western
psychologists who
assume that their view of
intelligence applies to all
cultures equally
- when such
tests are used
on non-Western
cultures, they
may appear less
intelligent
- when such
tests are used
on non-Western
cultures, they
may appear less
intelligent
- intelligence tests are
devised by Western
psychologists who
assume that their view of
intelligence applies to all
cultures equally
- example
- ignores or minimises
cultural differences
- Ethnocentrism
- the use of our own ethnic/cultural group as a
basis for judgements about other groups
- a tendency to view the beliefs, customs and
behaviours of our own group as 'normal',
whereas those of other groups are 'strange'
- Cultural Relativism
- all cultures are equally worthy of
respect and that in studying
another culture we need to try to
understand the way that a
particular culture sees the world
- all cultures are equally worthy of
respect and that in studying
another culture we need to try to
understand the way that a
particular culture sees the world
- Eurocentrism
- a form of
ethnocentrism but
emphasis is on
Western/European
theories and ideas,
at the expense of
other cultures
- a form of
ethnocentrism but
emphasis is on
Western/European
theories and ideas,
at the expense of
other cultures
- the use of our own ethnic/cultural group as a
basis for judgements about other groups
- Bias in studies
- most psychological
research is carried out
on Americans
- Smith and
Bond (1998) -
66% American,
32% European,
2% rest of the
world
- Sears (1986) - 82% undergraduates,
51% psychology students
- Smith and
Bond (1998) -
66% American,
32% European,
2% rest of the
world
- psychology findings
are not only
unrepresentative on a
global scale, but also
within Western culture
- most psychological
research is carried out
on Americans
- Indigenous
psychologies
- 'psychology' has traditionally meant Western
psychology, with the assumption that psychological
knowledge can be applied to the whole of humankind
because it holds true in Western society
- psychology has created
the need for an alternative
view of human behaviour
- one based on
indigenous
(native) cultures
- most of this research is
done in Asia
- Yamagishi (2002) -
there are more social
psychologists in Asia
than in Europe
- but almost absent in Africa
- South Africa has a Western
individualist conception of
psychology, and fails to
reflect it's collectivist
indigenous culture
- 90% of psychologists are white,
13% of the population are white
- 90% of psychologists are white,
13% of the population are white
- South Africa has a Western
individualist conception of
psychology, and fails to
reflect it's collectivist
indigenous culture
- Yamagishi (2002) -
there are more social
psychologists in Asia
than in Europe
- one based on
indigenous
(native) cultures
- Afrocentrism
- a movement whose central proposition is that all blacks
have their roots in Africa and that psychological theories
must be African-centred and must express African values
- disputes the view that European values are universally
appropriate descriptions of human behaviour that apply
equally to Europeans and non-Europeans alike
- suggests values and cultures of Europeans devalue non-European
people and are irrelevant to the life and culture of Africans
- a movement whose central proposition is that all blacks
have their roots in Africa and that psychological theories
must be African-centred and must express African values
- 'psychology' has traditionally meant Western
psychology, with the assumption that psychological
knowledge can be applied to the whole of humankind
because it holds true in Western society
- The emic-etic distinction
- The emic approach
- emphasises the
uniqueness of every culture
by focussing on culturally
specific phenomena
- typically involves indigenous researchers
studying their own cultural group
- findings tend to be significant only to the
understanding of behaviour within that culture
- emphasises the
uniqueness of every culture
by focussing on culturally
specific phenomena
- The etic approach
- assumes that human
behaviour is universal
- study behaviour from outside a culture and
produce findings that are considered to have
universal application in psychology
- HOWEVER
- derived etic
- acknowledges the role of cultural
factors and recognises that human
behaviour differs from one culture
to another and the use of methods
from other cultures is inappropriate
- acknowledges the role of cultural
factors and recognises that human
behaviour differs from one culture
to another and the use of methods
from other cultures is inappropriate
- imposed etic
- where cultural influences are ignored
- assessments are made using standard (Western)
instruments, and interpretations made at face value
- assessments are made using standard (Western)
instruments, and interpretations made at face value
- where cultural influences are ignored
- derived etic
- assumes that human
behaviour is universal
- The emic approach
Want to create your own Mind Maps for free with GoConqr? Learn more.