Multicultural Psychology Concept List

surface of culture

Refers to the observable aspects of culture, such as rituals, customs, and symbols that are easily seen and experienced, distinguishing one cultural group from another.

deep structure of culture

Refers to the underlying beliefs, values, and thought patterns that shape a culture and influence behavior, often operating at a subconscious level.

race

Refers to a social construct used to categorize people based on physical characteristics like skin color, hair type, and facial features, often used to explain social dynamics and disparities.

ethnicity

Refers to a shared cultural heritage, including common language, religion, and historical experience, often linked to a specific national or geographic origin.

race is not based on inherent biological differences but is instead created and defined by societal norms and perceptions.

what does race is a social construction mean?

When and how did “Whiteness” and “Blackness” come about?  What function did it serve at the time?

worldview

Refers to the comprehensive perspective through which individuals interpret and interact with the world around them, shaped by cultural, social, and personal factors.

difference between a man and woman’s worldview

The difference between a man and woman's worldview often stems from varying social experiences, cultural expectations, and gender roles, which influence their perceptions and interactions with society.

cross-cultural psychology

A branch of psychology that examines the ways cultural factors influence human behavior, thoughts, and emotions across different cultures.

equality

The state of being equal in status, rights, and opportunities, promoting fairness and justice across different cultural and societal groups.

equity

Refers to the fair treatment of individuals, taking into account their diverse needs and circumstances, and ensuring that everyone has access to the necessary resources and opportunities for success.

• Culture are not limited to countries. Culture can be broadly defined (e.g., college culture, Greek culture)

• Cultures can change over time

• Be aware of within-group heterogeneity (differences between people in the same culture)

3 caveats to keep in mind about culture

universality

patterns of human thought, behaviors that exist across all people (what is the same across all people)

cultural variability

psychological processes like how we think, act, feel, can be affected by culture (what is different between people of different culture)

people find some things funny

example of universality

WHAT people find funny differs across cultures

example of culturally variability

• Most research originated with research done in college samples

• Mostly based in the western world

How psychological research is WEIRD

Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic societies

WEIRD

cultural differences in IQ were assumed to reflect innate properties that marked people and groups for an inevitable station in life; did not take into account ability to speak English in scoring/interpreting these tests

hereditary theory of IQ

bias of the test (“what would you a saucer for” — different social classes)

a bias that occurred during the test’s creation such that the test disadvantages certain group

bias in the usage

a bias introduced when a test is used in an inappropriate manner, such as being administered in a language in which the test taker is not fluent

bias in the user

the person administering the test that causes scoring or interpretation of test results in a way that disadvantages a person or group

the study of differences can be used to divide people, put down people, and provide an excuse discriminate against certain groups

danger of not acknowledging biases in psychology

homosexuality

listed as a mental illness in the DSM until 1975

torture

psychologists secretly helped the Bush administration with this program

Richard Schweder

father of modern cultural psychology

power players in American Psychology

eugenics movement

a controversial scientific theory advocating for the improvement of human populations through selective breeding and sterilization practices.

demonstrated that homosexuality is not a mental illness and highlighted the importance of non-pathologizing perspectives in psychology.

She compared 30 gay men with 30 heterosexual men, matching them on factors such as age, IQ, and education. Importantly, the men were not psychiatric patients or people seeking treatment. AAmerican Psychological Association+1

She gave the men several psychological tests, including the Rorschach, Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), and MAPS test. Independent psychologists evaluated the test results without knowing which men were gay or heterosexual.

The striking finding was that the experts could not reliably distinguish the gay men from the heterosexual men based on their psychological adjustment.

Evelyn Hooker’s study’s contribution to Homosexuality being removed from the DSM as a psychological disorder in 1973

conversion therapy

a practice aimed at changing an individual's sexual orientation from homosexual or bisexual to heterosexual through psychological or spiritual interventions.

it is both ineffective and harmful, and it opposes any attempts to change an individual's sexual orientation through such practices.

APA’s position on conversion therapy

Conversion therapy is widely condemned and banned in many states, viewed as harmful and ineffective by major psychological organizations; however, still legal in half of United States

current status of conversion therapy in the U.S. today

An experiment involves the manipulation of an independent variable and measurement of the influence the manipulation has on a dependent variable. The method allows researchers to be confident in their exploration of the relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable, because all other extraneous influences can be held constant.

why historically experimental designs have been considered the best methodology

• manipulation of independent variable

• random assignment into experiment and control conditions

key components of an experimental design

2 groups are equal in every way except for the IV, then differences in DV can be attributed to the IV

how experimental design allow the researcher and the audience to infer causation.

• value external validity

• think outside the box

• be careful about language and attitude

• find better predictors than ethnic labels

4 suggestions multicultural psychologists made to other researchers

recognize that external validity is just as important as internal validity -→ inclusion of diverse groups, larger representation of these groups, test study questions specifically in these groups (POC)

what does it mean to value external validity?

consider alternative explanations before jumping to race-based conclusions —> poverty, poor access to prenatal and postnatal care, racisim, discrimination

what does it mean to think outside the box?

be careful assuming a white standard, ethnocentrism , positive v. negative work, avoid stereotypes

what does it mean to be care about language and attitude

It means identifying more accurate indicators of behavior or outcomes that go beyond simplistic racial or ethnic categorizations, focusing instead on individual and contextual factors.

Find the “active” ingredient, usign culturer rather than ethnic group as the predicotor

what does it mean to find better predictors than ethnic labels

internal validity

the extent to which an experiment eliminates confounding variables and accurately establishes cause and effect

external validity

the extent to which results can be generalized beyond the specific study — to other populations and settings

to gain control over an experiment, we often lose real-worldness of the study

the tension of internal validity

the embrace the complexity of the real-worldness of therapy, we have to give up some tight control over possible confounds

the tension of external validity

• ethnic categories are imprecise and arbitrary

• Within-group heterogeneity

• self-labeling or self-categorizing varies across context

• mixed ethnicities

• ethnic categories don’t yield useful information

  • group membership doesn’t explain how ethnicity predicts behavior

  • Group membership may not predict behaviors in a meaningful way

problems with simply relying on ethnic labels

within-group heterogeneity

refers to the diversity and variation among individuals within the same ethnic group, highlighting that members can have different experiences, beliefs, and characteristics.

European American Standard

the standard against which all others are measured. Thus, those who are closer to to this are deemed superior to those who are farther away from the standard; eurocentrism

It highlights the complexity and diversity of experiences within a single ethnic group, emphasizing that individuals cannot be accurately understood solely based on their ethnic identity.

why does within-group heterogeneity matter

It matters in understanding the multifaceted nature of identity and tailoring interventions that respect individual differences, rather than relying on broad stereotypes.

when does within-group heterogeneity matter

ethnocentrism

evaluating people from other cultures by comparing them to the standards of one’s own culture

Why was the book “The Bell Curve” controversial? What were the mistakes the authors made?

controversial due to its claims linking intelligence to race and socio-economic status, which sparked debates about inherent intelligence differences among racial groups. Critics pointed out methodological flaws, misuse of data, and ethical implications of its conclusions.

1. They treated correlation as if it could explain causation

2. They made a leap from heritability to genetics between groups

3. They treated racial categories as if they were straightforward biological groups

4. They didn't adequately account for environmental differences

sex

refers to the biological and physiological differences between males and females and intersex

gender

refers to the behaviors or patterns of activities that a society or culture deems appropriate for men and women and gender queer, social construction

The distinction between sex and gender is that sex relates to biological attributes, whereas gender encompasses the roles, behaviors, and identities that are culturally and socially constructed.

difference between sex and gender

It encompasses the diverse identities and experiences related to sexual orientation and gender identity, advocating for rights and representation.

Why LGBTQAI+ considered a social/political term

sex roles

the behaviors, expectations, and norms assigned to individuals based on their biological sex, often varying across cultures.

gender roles

the expectations and behaviors that society attributes to individuals based on their gender.

it is shaped by society or culture and changeable over time

why is gender a social constructionGender is considered a social construction because it is shaped by societal norms and cultural contexts, and it evolves over time in response to changing beliefs and practices.

• there is pancultural agreement on gender stereotypes (however, they are a construction and can change over time)

• while stereotypes may be accurate at the group level, we should keep an open mind because stereotypes may not be accurate at the individual level

• we need to be careful about the dangers of translating gender stereotypes into how we expect a person should act

• individuals who don’t conform to gender stereotypes are more likely to be mistreated by others. Conforming more to gender stereotypes are associated with negative outcomes for both girls and boys

takeaways on gender sterotypes

Factors such as cultural norms, media representation, family influence, and societal expectations contribute to the persistence of traditional gender roles. For example, media often portrays men as dominant and women as nurturing, reinforcing these stereotypes in society.

What contributes to the persistence of traditional gender roles? give examples

production change in the 1900s —> jobs no longer require muscle which means that men and women can both work equally well in these jobs

reproduction change in the 1960s —> more control over when to reproduce, allowign women to continue their education and enter the workforce

What production and reproduction changes occurred in the 20^th century that likely contributed to shifts in gender roles?

It would suggest that cultural factors or educational systems in the U.S. might be influencing perceived gender differences in math abilities, highlighting the role of environmental influences over biological determinism.

What would it mean if we find that boys are better at math in the U.S. but don’t find this gender difference in math scores in other countries?

• Is this descriptive or essentializing?

• Does this allow within-group variability?

• Are we attributing cause to biology instead of culture?

the stereotype test

We should use averages when we want to summarize data, compare groups, or identify general patterns. However, we should be careful about using averages to describe individuals. The Elizabeth Warren grid-box exercise demonstrates this by showing how averaging characteristics across a group can produce an “average” person who may not actually resemble any particular person in the group. This is important in multicultural psychology because people within racial, ethnic, and cultural groups can vary greatly. Therefore, we should use averages to understand group-level patterns but avoid assuming that an individual will be like the group average.

When should we use averages (and why?)?  And when is it important to not simply go with an average? [hint: the Elizabeth Warren grid-box exercise we did in class!]

The fMRI study found that boys and girls ages 3–10 showed very similar brain activity when processing math, and their math ability was statistically equivalent. This suggests there is little evidence for an innate biological difference in math ability. The mother-child interaction study found that mothers actually used more number-related language with boys than with girls—for example, talking more about numbers and quantities with their sons. This suggests that children can receive different mathematical experiences based on gender. Overall, the studies suggest that gender differences in math are not simply “nature”; environmental experiences and socialization may play an important role.

You read the fMRI study and the study that looked at mother-child interactions.  What do the 2 studies say about gender differences in math ability?  Is it nature or nurture?  What did they find?  [practice saying this succinctly since it would be a short answer question, not an essay question. :)]