1 Psychology 307: Cultural Psychology Lecture 4

2 Announcements 1. The 12th Annual UBC Psychology Undergraduate Conference is scheduled for: April 10 th, 9am-5pm, in the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre. Deadline for applications for an oral presentation or poster presentation: January 29 th (application package available at Keynote speakers: Edna Fiedler and Walter Sipes, "Hitchhiker's Guide to Aerospace Psychology: The International Space Station."

3 2. Kwantlen’s Psychology Department (Richmond campus) will host Connecting Minds 2010: The North American Undergraduate Research Conference in Psychology on June 4 th and 5 th. Keynote speaker: Albert Bandura. “Going Global with Social Cognitive Theory.” Information and application information for talks or poster presentations is available at:

4 3. The Faculty of Arts has announced the following initiative: Travel and Learn Abroad Award for Students (ATLAAS) The award is funded by the Dean of Arts as part of a commitment to the UBC Plan, Place and Promise, to promote international engagement. ATLAAS awards of up to $2,500 are available to undergraduate Arts students for international learning experiences. Deadline for application: March 15 th (application information available at: advising/scholarships.html#atlaas) advising/scholarships.html#atlaas

5 Research Methods 1.What unique methodological challenges do cultural psychologists encounter? (continued)

6 (b) Moderacy and Extremity Biases  Moderacy bias: Refers to a tendency to select scores near the midpoint of a rating scale when responding to questionnaire items.  Extremity bias: Refers to a tendency to select scores near the endpoints of a rating scale when responding to questionnaire items. What unique methodological challenges do cultural psychologists encounter? (continued)

7  E.g., Rate the item “I like to socialize” using the following scale: 1 = SD, 2 = D, 3 = N, 4 = A, 5 = SA A respondent who exhibits a moderacy bias is likely to select “3” = Neutral. In contrast, a respondent who exhibits an extremity bias is likely to select “1” = Strongly Disagree or “5” = Strongly Agree.  Research indicates that cultural groups differ in their tendency to exhibit moderacy and extremity biases.

8  Remedy for moderacy and extremity biases: Use a “yes/no” response format or a forced-choice response format.  E.g., yes/no response format: Do you like to socialize …………………..Yes / No  E.g., forced-choice response format: Which of the following statements best describes you? (a) I like to socialize. (b) I like to spend a lot of time by myself.

9 (c) Socially Desirable Responding  Refers to a tendency to respond to questionnaire items in a way that promotes a favorable self- image.  E.g., Rate the item “I am always honest” using the following scale: 1 = SD, 2 = D, 3 = N, 4 = A, 5 = SA A respondent who engages in socially desirable responding is likely to select “5” = Strongly Agree.

10  Research indicates that cultural groups differ in their tendency to engage in socially desirable responding.  Remedies for socially desirable responding:  Administer questionnaires anonymously.

11  Use neutral items to describe both positive and negative characteristics. E.g., I am friendly vs. I am comfortable talking to people who I don’t know well.  Use a separate measure to assess participants’ tendency to engage in socially desirable responding. E.g., Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale, Paulhus Deception Scales

12 Items from the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (T/F) I never hesitate to go out of my way to help someone. (T) I have never intensely disliked anyone. (T) No matter who I’m talking to, I’m always a good listener. (T) There have been times when I was quite jealous of the good fortune of others. (F) On occasion I have had doubts about my ability to succeed in life. (F) There have been occasions when I felt like smashing something. (F)

13 Items from the Paulhus Deception Scales (T/F) Items assessing self-deceptive enhancement: My first impressions of people usually turn out to be right. (T) I am very confident of my judgments. (T) I am fully in control of my own fate. (T) I always know why I like things. (T) I don’t care to know what other people really think of me. (F) It would be hard for me to break any of my bad habits. (F)

14 Items from the Paulhus Deception Scales, Continued Items assessing impression management: I never swear. (T) I always obey laws, even if I’m unlikely to get caught. (T) When I hear people talking privately, I avoid listening. (T) I have never dropped litter on the street. (T) I sometimes drive faster than the speed limit. (F) I have received too much change from a salesperson without telling him or her. (F)

15 (d) Reference-Group Effect  Refers to the fact that people from different cultures use different standards to evaluate themselves when responding to questionnaire items.  E.g., Rate the item “I am tall” using the following scale: 1 = SD, 2 = D, 3 = N, 4 = A, 5 = SA The average height of Chinese males is 5’5”, whereas the average height of Dutch males is 6’. Accordingly, a 5’7” Chinese male is likely to select “5” = Strongly agree, whereas a 5’7” Dutch male is likely to select “1” = Strongly disagree.

16  Although the reference-group effect is of concern when using questionnaires to assess a variety of constructs, research indicates that questionnaires that assess psychological adjustment are resistant to the reference-group effect because they require participants to introspect rather than compare themselves to others. E.g., Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale: I take a positive attitude toward myself. On the whole, I am satisfied with myself. I certainly feel useless at times. At times I think I’m no good at all.

17  Remedies for the reference-group effect:  Use items that refer to specific context-based behaviours or scenarios rather than abstract psychological concepts (e.g., emotions, traits). E.g., I believe that it is wrong to engage in premarital sex vs. I am conservative.  Provide respondents with quantitative response options rather than qualitative response options. E.g., Never, 25% of the time, 50% of the time, 75% of the time, Always vs. Strongly Disagree, Disagree, …

18  Use objective measures rather than self-report measures. E.g., measures of overt behavioural responses, physiological measures.

19 Research Methods 1.What unique methodological challenges do cultural psychologists encounter? (continued)