Culture bias

Where are most psychological studies carried out?

Mainly in Western, industrialised countries - especially North America and Europe.

What are some percentages that emphasise this?

• 68% of ppts were American in psychological research

• 96% of ppts were from industrialised nations

• 80% of ppts were psychology undergraduates

What is cultural bias in psychology?

Interpreting behaviour through the lens of one’s own culture and assuming findings from WEIRD samples are universal, ignoring cultural differences

What does WEIRD stand for?

Western, Educated people from Industrialised, Rich Democracies

Why is Asch’s conformity research an example of cultural bias?

He used an American sample but generalised the findings to all cultures, even though high conformity reflected 1950s American social norms

What is ethnocentrism?

a consequence of cultural bias - Believing one’s own culture is superior and judging other cultures by the standards of your own

Why is Ainsworth’s Strange Situation an example of ethnocentrism?

It defined “secure attachment” using American norms and judged other cultures (e.g., German mothers) as cold or rejecting when they didn’t match these standards

What is cultural relativism?

The idea that norms, values, and behaviours can only be understood within their cultural context - what is “right” or “normal” depends on the culture

What is an imposed etic?

Studying behaviour in one culture and wrongly assuming the findings apply universally

What is imposed emic?

Studying behaviour within a culture and recognising that findings apply only to that culture

How does Sternberg’s research illustrate cultural relativism?

He showed that intelligence means different things in different cultures (e.g., coordination skills valued in preliterate societies but not in Western ones)

How is the fact that identifying cultural bias in psychology has led to the development of cultural psychology a strength?

because it improves the validity of psychological research by encouraging cross‑cultural methods and reducing the dominance of Western norms in theory‑building. This means modern psychology is becoming more inclusive, representative, and socially relevant, producing explanations that better reflect global human behaviour

Give an example of this strength

Early theories were based on Western, individualistic samples but presented as universal. Recognising this ethnocentrism encouraged psychologists to study behaviour within cultural contexts and challenge Western assumptions

How is the fact that some human behaviours genuinely appear to be universal a strength of cultural bias?

because it shows that some behaviours are biologically based rather than culturally constructed, supporting the generalisability of psychological explanations - not all WEIRD samples dismissed

Give an example of this strength

For instance, Ekman (1989) found that basic facial expressions such as happiness, anger, fear and sadness are recognised universally, even in isolated groups. Attachment research also shows universal behaviours like interactional synchrony and caregiver-infant bonding.

How is the fact that ethnocentric research can create harmful and discriminatory stereotypes a major weakness?

because biased tests can have real-world consequences, reducing the internal validity and ethical integrity of psychological research

Give an example of this weakness

For example, the WWI Army intelligence tests were biased toward American cultural knowledge, causing European immigrants to score higher than African‑Americans, who were wrongly labelled “mentally unfit” and “feeble‑minded.”

How is the fact that cultural bias research has shown cultures may be becoming more similar over time due to globalisation an advantage?

because it means psychological findings may now be more generalisable across cultures, as modern societies share more values and behaviours than in the past

Give an example of this advantage

For example, Takano and Osaka (1999) reviewed 15 studies comparing the USA and Japan and found that 14 showed no significant difference in individualism or collectivism, suggesting cultures are converging