PSY321H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Collectivism, Muxe, Psychophysiology
Document Summary
Researchers must understand cultural norms and practices of the cultures being studied, Especially in relation to the psychological phenomenon in question. How do we come to understand other culture: ethnography, collaborating with individuals from the culture of interest, becoming immersed in the culture to learn about its elements. Writing about people : qualitative interviewing, participant observation, quantitative measures, eg: size of villages, where were people living, sizes of structures try to detail as much about the people. Benefits: sufficient knowledge of cultures under investigation, presumably there are people that understand the cultural contexts. Limitations: focus on cultures where people are engaged in psychological research (eg: north. America vs east asia: non-industrialized populations less well-represented. Benefits: acquire first-hand insight into the culture, exposure to another culture inspires new research questions, you might learn something that makes you have more questions about an aspect, different than just reading about something. Limitations: can be costly in terms of time and money.
