Cultural Bias controversy

1. Cultural Bias controversy You need to be able to say why this issue is controversial You should be able to give examples of where cultural bias occurs in Psychology You should be able to suggest ways of dealing with cultural bias.

2. Cultural Bias in Psychology www.psychlotron.org.uk • Psychology is predominantly a white, Euro-American enterprise • 64% of psychological researchers from US • In some texts, >90% of studies have US PPs • Samples predominantly white middle class • But psychology purports to tell us about ‘human nature’ – can this really be true?

3. Cultural Bias in Psychology www.psychlotron.org.uk • Try the Chiltern Test. • http://www.psychexchange.co.uk/videos/view/20522/ • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxmccYBXJLg&feature=related

4. Cultural Bias Examples www.psychlotron.org.uk • IQ testing and research (e.g. Eysenck) • IQ tests developed in the West contain embedded assumptions about intelligence, but what counts as ‘intelligent’ behaviour varies from culture to culture • Non-Westerners may be disadvantaged by such tests – and then viewed as ‘inferior’ when then don’t perform as Westerners do • See the Chiltern Test.

5. Cultural Bias Examples www.psychlotron.org.uk • Ainsworth’s SSC for attachment • Not appropriate for assessing children from non-US or UK populations • Cultural differences in child-rearing styles make results liable to misinterpretation e.g. German or Japanese samples

6. Cultural Bias Examples www.psychlotron.org.uk • Moral development (Kohlberg) • Based on a hierarchy of developmental stages, strongly influenced by Western individualism & tradition of abstract moral reasoning • Not an accurate reflection of moral reasoning in some other (e.g. collectivist) cultures • Consequently, some cultures score ‘lower’ on moral development when they are actually just ‘different’

7. Small Group Task Read through textbook pg 74 and answer the following questions. Why is cultural bias a problem? What is the difference between Alph and Beta bias? Give some examples of Alpha and Beta biases in research. What is the difference between ethnocentrism and cultural relativism? Why might the biological approach be culturally biased?

8. Plenary Post-its game – choice of terms Alpha bias Beta Bias Enthocentrism Cultural relativism Cultural neuropsychology Collectivist Individualist

9. Ways to deal with cultural bias www.psychlotron.org.uk • Emics and etics • Emics are the constructs particular to a specific culture • Etics are constructs that are universal to all people • Bias can occur when emics and etics get mistaken for each other

10. Emics www.psychlotron.org.uk • Emic constructs are specific to particular cultures, so they vary from place to place • Likely to be ignored or misinterpreted • Researchers from one culture may not be sensitive to local emics • Their own cultural ‘filters’ may prevent them from detecting them or appreciating their significance

11. www.psychlotron.org.uk • Emic Approach • Emphasize every culture is unique • Study behaviourwithin a culture • Produce findings significant for that culture only • Examples ? • See Handout

12. Etics www.psychlotron.org.uk • Etic constructs are assumed to be universal, but may not be • This can lead to ‘imposed etics’, where a construct from one culture is applied inappropriately to another

13. www.psychlotron.org.uk • Etic Approach • DERIVED ETICS • Done by cross-cultural psychologists • Assumes most behaviour is common to all humans but cultural factors affect this behaviour • Explanations are DERIVED (worked out) from cross-cultural studies of a behaviour • Examples? • See handout

14. www.psychlotron.org.uk • Etic Approach • IMPOSED ETICS • Done by cross-cultural psychologists • Assumes most behaviour is not affected by culture. • Study behaviour from outside a culture • Study many cultures • Produce findings they believe they can apply to all cultures • Examples ?

15. Ethnocentrism www.psychlotron.org.uk • This occurs when a researcher assumes that their own culturally specific practices or ideas are ‘natural’ or ‘right’ • When other cultures are observed to differ from the researcher’s own, they may be regarded in a negative light • E.g. ‘primitive’, ‘degenerate’, ‘unsophisticated’, ‘undeveloped’ etc. • Becomes racism when other cultures are denigrated or their traditions regarded as irrelevant etc.

16. Can We Avoid Cultural Bias? www.psychlotron.org.uk • Remember that all cultures are not the same • The individualist-collectivist dimension reminds us of this, but is still a gross simplification • Greater use should be made of research conducted from within each culture, by members of that culture • Cross cultural research should be encouraged

17. Conducting Cross Cultural Research www.psychlotron.org.uk • Two possible approaches: • Cross cultural approach – study many different cultures to identify the variations • Transcultural approach – study many different cultures to identify the similarities • When doing this, need to be aware of the pitfalls!

18. Conducting Cross-Cultural Research www.psychlotron.org.uk • Identify the challenges of cross-cultural research on pg75 of textbook. • Apply them to Buss AS Core study.

19. Essay Plan Intro – What is cultural bias and why is it a problem. Give examples of cultural bias in existing research and say why the studies were biased. Explain types of bias, Alpha, beta and ethnocentrism using examples and analysis (Saying what is suggests) Explain ways of dealing the bias. Include indigenous psychologies and distinction between emics and etics. Provide examples and analysis. Explain challenges of conducting cross-cultural research successfully and why it is important for psychology. Write a conclusion which summarises and suggests actions for the future.