Key words Universality Ethnocentrism Cultural relativism
• Culture bias – the act of • When something applies to • Form of cultural bias and is a • Behaviour can’t be judged
interpreting and judging people all over the world. In belief in superiority of one’s properly unless it’s viewed in
behaviour of one culture by reality, findings from studies own cultural group the context of the culture in
holding them to the standard of only apply to the people who • Form’s view that any behaviours which it originates
your own were studied which don’t conform to the • Emic constructs – specific to a
• E.g. Milgram’s study was model are underdeveloped culture and vary between
originally conducted with US • E.g. Ainsworth. Secure cultures
participants but the same study attachment type in America is • Etic constructs – analyse
had different results when it desirable, but deviates from this behaviour focusing on universal
was replicated in other parts of in Germany factors that hold across all
the world cultures
Mistakes Universality Unfamiliarity Operationalisation
• Psychologists distinguish • Critics overlook universality of • Some cultures aren’t familiar • Variables under scrutiny aren’t
between human behaviour with research process experienced in the same way
individualist/collectivist cultures • Research shows that 6 emotions • Westerns are likely to be • Different things are thought to
• Increased globalisation means are universal, so some familiar but that doesn’t extend be rude in different cultures
distinction is outdated behaviours are universal to other cultures • Interactions between people in
• Takano et al found 14/15 • We have shared evolutionary • Demand characteristics could an observation could be seen as
studies comparing findings traits and these could be be less/more of a problem rude
between USA and Japan had no overlooked if we look too much depending on the culture which • This could lead to invalid
distinction at the differences could reduce the internal conclusions from the researcher
• Culture bias not an issue validity of the research
• Culture bias – the act of • When something applies to • Form of cultural bias and is a • Behaviour can’t be judged
interpreting and judging people all over the world. In belief in superiority of one’s properly unless it’s viewed in
behaviour of one culture by reality, findings from studies own cultural group the context of the culture in
holding them to the standard of only apply to the people who • Form’s view that any behaviours which it originates
your own were studied which don’t conform to the • Emic constructs – specific to a
• E.g. Milgram’s study was model are underdeveloped culture and vary between
originally conducted with US • E.g. Ainsworth. Secure cultures
participants but the same study attachment type in America is • Etic constructs – analyse
had different results when it desirable, but deviates from this behaviour focusing on universal
was replicated in other parts of in Germany factors that hold across all
the world cultures
Mistakes Universality Unfamiliarity Operationalisation
• Psychologists distinguish • Critics overlook universality of • Some cultures aren’t familiar • Variables under scrutiny aren’t
between human behaviour with research process experienced in the same way
individualist/collectivist cultures • Research shows that 6 emotions • Westerns are likely to be • Different things are thought to
• Increased globalisation means are universal, so some familiar but that doesn’t extend be rude in different cultures
distinction is outdated behaviours are universal to other cultures • Interactions between people in
• Takano et al found 14/15 • We have shared evolutionary • Demand characteristics could an observation could be seen as
studies comparing findings traits and these could be be less/more of a problem rude
between USA and Japan had no overlooked if we look too much depending on the culture which • This could lead to invalid
distinction at the differences could reduce the internal conclusions from the researcher
• Culture bias not an issue validity of the research
