Cultural and Gender Bias
- Cultural bias occurs when researchers make assumptions based on their own cultural background, leading to findings that may not be universally applicable.
- Gender bias involves assumptions based on gender, often leading to the overrepresentation or underrepresentation of one gender in research.
WEIRD Samples and Generalisability
- WEIRD stands for Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich, and Democratic.
- These samples are often used in psychological research, leading to limited generalisability of findings.
Henrich et al. (2010) highlighted that 96% of psychological research participants come from WEIRD societies, which represent only 12% of the world's population.
AnalogyImagine judging the world's diet based only on one city's menu. This is similar to relying on WEIRD samples to make universal claims about human behavior.
Analogy- Have you ever tried the New York Times Crossword? It often contains U.S. American cultural references, which may make it difficult for someone not from the USA.
- Many studies include tests/questionnaires that are inherently cultural and cannot be effectively completed by people of different backgrounds.
Androcentrism
- Androcentrism is the tendency to view male behavior as the norm, often leading to the marginalization of female perspectives.
Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development:
- Kohlberg's stages were based on male participants, leading to the assumption that females were less morally developed.
- Gilligan (1982) criticized this, arguing that women's moral reasoning is different but not inferior.
