Cross cultural studies
- Used to determine whether a particular behaviour is universal
Advantages:
- Helps to understand and what is determined by environment
- Helps to reduce ethnocentrism in research
Disadvantages:
- May misunderstand the culture (language barrier)
- Expensive and time - consuming
- Tools used can be biased for the west
Cole et al (1971)
- Adult members of Kpelle tribe (Africa) to sort familiar objects into groups.
- They sorted them into functional groups (not in a Western way)
Difference or bias?
- Many studies have found differences between human cultural groups
- It is easy to confuse difference with bias
- Factor in laws, beliefs, religion
Ethnocentrism
- Our own culture should be the basis for judgements of other groups
Hare-Mustin and Maracek (1988)
- Found alpha bias (actual differences between cultural groups)
- Many miss universals of human behaviour, such as schizophrenia symptoms
- Found beta bias (all people are the same)
Historical and Social Context
- Most studies are conducted on white, middle class and in the West
Rosenzweig (1992)
- 64% of the world’s researches are American
Smith and Bond (1998)
- 66% of all studies in a sample of psychology textbooks came from America
- Culture changes over time (studies may go out of date quickly)
- Used to determine whether a particular behaviour is universal
Advantages:
- Helps to understand and what is determined by environment
- Helps to reduce ethnocentrism in research
Disadvantages:
- May misunderstand the culture (language barrier)
- Expensive and time - consuming
- Tools used can be biased for the west
Cole et al (1971)
- Adult members of Kpelle tribe (Africa) to sort familiar objects into groups.
- They sorted them into functional groups (not in a Western way)
Difference or bias?
- Many studies have found differences between human cultural groups
- It is easy to confuse difference with bias
- Factor in laws, beliefs, religion
Ethnocentrism
- Our own culture should be the basis for judgements of other groups
Hare-Mustin and Maracek (1988)
- Found alpha bias (actual differences between cultural groups)
- Many miss universals of human behaviour, such as schizophrenia symptoms
- Found beta bias (all people are the same)
Historical and Social Context
- Most studies are conducted on white, middle class and in the West
Rosenzweig (1992)
- 64% of the world’s researches are American
Smith and Bond (1998)
- 66% of all studies in a sample of psychology textbooks came from America
- Culture changes over time (studies may go out of date quickly)
