I&D Culture Bias

Culture Bias

Alpha Bias

• assumes cultural differences between groups. E.g. Individualist & Collectivist cultures
• E.g. Collectivist expected to be more conformative than individualist cultures
• Although this is often assumed and is not much evidence

Beta Bias

• Cultural differences are ignored
• Measures developed in one country being used in another
• Western IQ test is an imposed etic - making non-western cultures seem less clever

ETHNOCENTRISM

• Using one’s own cultural group for judging other cultural groups
• Own culture seen as normal, other cultures seen as strange
• Emphasising the importance of the behaviour of one's own culture

Cultural relativism

• Idea that all cultures are worthy and when studied we must accept they have different world views
• opposite to ethnocentrism
• Not having cultural relativism can lead to alpha bias - e.g. Mead, Papua New Guinea
• or lead to beta bias - e.g. mental illnesses in one culture may be irrelevant to another

Cultural bias can be dangerous - reinforcing stereotypes

Indigenous psychologists counter ethnocentris

• E.g. Afrocentrism disputes the view that European values are universally appropriate

EMIC APPROACH EMPHASISES UNIQUENESS OF EVERY CULTURE

• Problem is that results are only specific to the behaviour within that culture.
• Solution is to have an emic approach but then look for common patterns amongst other cultures - e.g. through meta analysis.

ANOTHER WAY OF AVOIDING CULTURE BIAS IS TO U SAMPLES FROM OTHER CULTURES

• Henrich - most samples were middle class, academic, young male adult
• Sampling different cultural groups resolves problem - more representative and generalisable
• Worldwide travel has also reduced culture bias - international conferences — psychologists can meet and exchange ideas for reducing ethnocentrism