Culture Bias

Universality & bias

  • Bias refers to any factor (e.g. attitudes, behaviours, beliefs) that interferes with the validity (i.e. the ‘truth’) of the research process

  • Bias may lead to researchers forming conclusions which favour universality

  • Universality occurs when a researcher has not considered the fact that there is no ‘one size fits all’ in terms of human behaviour and experience e.g.

    • attachment research by Ainsworth (1970) assumed that attachment could be measured and categorised using the norms and values of her own culture (individualistic, American)

      • By ignoring the influence of culture on attachment style Ainsworth takes a universal approach i.e. she assumes that all children, regardless of culture will show one of the attachment styles she defined

    • Duck’s (2007) phase model of relationship breakdown is only applicable to individualistic cultures wherein divorce, separation and freedom of choice are easily attainable

  • Adopting a universal approach can result in research that is subjective and laden with value judgements e.g.

    • X behaviour is abnormal because it does not align with the behaviour I am familiar with…

    • My research using a Caucasian-only sample leads me to conclude that this is a general tendency of humans…

  • Culture bias occurs when one culture is either favoured over another culture or one culture is discriminated against via prejudicial attitudes or behaviour

    • The tendency to judge all cultures and individuals in terms of one’s own cultural assumptions

  • Adopting a universal bias can involve culture bias

    • The overwhelming majority of psychology research has investigated samples of participants from the USA or other wealthy Western individualistic countries

      • This presents a skewed and unrepresentative view of human behaviour

Ethnocentrism

  • Ainsworth’s research into attachment style is a good example of ethnocentrism

    • this involves a belief (conscious or unconscious) that one’s own culture is superior to other cultures, thereby rendering others cultures as ‘strange/anormal/odd/primative’

  • In the case of Ainsworth’s ‘Strange Situation’ study, the findings reflected a very White, Western, individualistic perspective e.g.

    • it is normal for securely attached children to show some separation anxiety

    • it is abnormal (insecure attachment type resistant) to show too much separation anxiety

    • it is abnormal (insecure attachment type avoidant) to show independence from the caregiver