Psychological Variability Overview

Psychological and Behavioral Variability

• Considerable variability exists among the human population in how people respond to stimuli.
• This includes differences in intensity of response, whether a response occurs, and the direction of the response.
• Research in the 1980s began to acknowledge and incorporate diverse participants and cultures.

WEIRD Population

• WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) represents 12% of the global population.
• 68% of psychology participants are from the USA.
• 96% of participants are WEIRD.
• 73% of authors are from USA Universities.
• 99% are from Western countries.
• Studies often lack diversity impacting the generalizability of results.
• WEIRD doesn't consider psychological variability across cultures.

Psychological and Behavioral Variability (cont.)

• Psychological and behavioral variability influences how intensely a person responds to stimuli, if they respond at all, and the manner in which they respond.

WEIRD Problems & Limitations

• WEIRD research often misses important dimensions of cultural variation and global patterns of behavior.
• Research often focuses on unusual behavior patterns specific to the WEIRD context.
• Research methodology tends to be inconsistent and incomplete regarding the understanding of diverse cultures.
• Findings may only apply to people within the WEIRD group.
• Researchers may focus on WEIRD countries, neglecting valuable insights from other cultures.
• Social psychologists are interested in all people, not just a small, limited group based on the WEIRD aspect.

Industrialized vs. Non-Industrialized Societies

• Studies examined differences in visual perception illusions between industrialized and non-industrialized populations.
• Non-industrialized societies individuals readily perceive lines as equal.
• Industrialized societies individuals require clear differences in line length to correctly identify that the lines are not equal.
• Risk aversion is higher in industrialized societies compared to non-industrialized societies in gambling.

Industrialized Two Categories

• Industrialized societies have two key categories: Non-Western and Western.
  • Western societies include Non-US and US populations.

Industrial Non-Western

• Holistic perspective: emphasizes interconnectedness and relationships.
• Moral reasoning considers a wider range of moral principles.
• Prioritize fulfilling interpersonal relationships and recognizing divinity.
• Focus on moralizing aspects of food and relationships.

Industrialized Western

• Analytical perspective: focuses on individual attributes detached from their context.
• Emphasizes established categories and rules to understand and explain behavior.
• Moral reasoning emphasizes justice and harm principles for judging moral behaviors.
• Predominately from the USA

Industrial Westernised USA

• High levels of individualism.
• Preference for more choices (e.g., ice cream flavors).
• Analytic reasoning is common.
• Higher likelihood of recruitment in research.
• Rationalization of choices.
• Less conformity.
• Focus on autonomy.
• Less prejudice.
• Self-monitoring behavior is common.
• Susceptibility to attitude change.
• Susceptibility to social influence.
• Prone to social loafing.

Gender Diverse Research

• Most studies categorized gender as male/female or man/woman.
• No studies measured differences in gender and sex.
• These studies fail to account for, deny or erase gender identity of people not fitting into binary categories.
• Inaccurate participant descriptions threaten research validity.
• Research can cause reactance effects that undermine the validity of results.

Ethical Concerns in Gender Diverse Research

• Studies that categorize gender in binary categories are unethical and damaging.
• Ethically problematic studies cause psychological harm and disrespect gender diversity,
• They undermine the dignity and respect that people should receive regarding their gender.

Indigenous Psychology

• Indigenous psychology is psychology that focuses on and for indigenous people, using methods and concepts tailored to their cultures.
• Prioritizes indigenous cultural perspectives and methodology.
• Relevant to the indigenous, native culture, and people, reflecting their sociocultural values.
• Indigenous culture is the source of concepts and theories rather than imposed knowledge.

Two Types of Indigenous Psychology

• Scholars studying in Western institutions utilize imported western theories, which impact research on indigenous peoples.
• The imported theories have a background of colonialism.

Types of Indigenous Groups

• Philippines, Taiwan, and India: This group has a long history of psychology, starting in the 1970s, where the term "indigenous" is used for people residing in countries, regardless of their origin.
• Australia, NZ, and Canada: History of indigenous psychology is shorter or non-existent. This group defines indigenous people as the first inhabitants of the land. Indigenous psychology here is specifically for Aboriginal or Maori people.

Common Features of Indigenous People (Martinez Cobo 1995)

• Shared historical continuity with pre-invasion and pre-colonial societies; have distinct differences from other populations.
• Dominantly live on their ancestral lands.
• Commit to preserving their traditions for future generations.
• Maintain their ethnic identities and cultural territories.
• Uphold unique and ancestral cultural practices, social institutions, and legal systems.

Colonization

• Colonization is the invasion and subjugation of an existing population.

Indigenization

• Indigenous psychology is developed through the process of indigenization, creating its own localized methodologies and knowledge bases.
• Initially focuses on acknowledging the limitations of Western ways of thinking.
• Second, adapting Western ideas to fit local realities is crucial.
• Indigenous methods and concepts are developed third.

Two Types of Indigenization (Enriquez 1993)

• ETIC/Without: Imported concepts are adapted for the indigenous context (translation and adaptation).
• EMIC/Within: Indigenous culture contributes concepts, knowledge and theories from within the communities themselves.

Cosmology

• Cosmology is an origin narrative, explaining the universe and humanity's purpose in it.
• Includes stories, beliefs, origin of the universe, human roles, and individual relationships, and purpose in the universe.
• Addresses questions about individual identities.

Different Indigenous Cosmologies

• Filipino: Developed from ethnic psychology, with Chinese historical, cultural and Buddhist traditions.
• Taiwanese: Rooted in Chinese history, cultural, and language traditions, including Buddhist elements.
• Indian: Intertwined with Hinduism and folklore traditions.

Indigenous Australians

• 3.3% of the total population.
• Average age is 22.
• Distinctive living arrangements (cities, regional, outer regional, remote).
• Over 260 distinct Indigenous languages at the time of colonization.

Understandings of Indigenous Cultures

• Understanding the indigenous relationship to land.
• Connections to social, religious, and spiritual activities.
• Knowledge of family, kin, and language group.
• Spiritual connections between individuals related to well-being,
• Obligations of individuals to each other based on defined responsibilities, expectations, and behaviors.

Self-Awareness

• Self-awareness is the conscious act of thinking about oneself.
• Introspection is a key component of self-awareness.

Self-Concept

• The content of the self is knowledge about who we are.
• Individual feelings about the self are a part of self-concept.

Self-Construal

• Self-construal is how individuals define and understand themselves in relation to others.

• Salient self-construal describes how individuals see themselves in specific contexts.

• Chronic self-construal consistently describes how individuals see themselves.

• Independent self-construal: defining oneself through stable personality traits and valuing uniqueness. Independent self-construal is prevalent in Western contexts.

• Interdependent self-construal: defining oneself in relation to others. This is common in non-Western contexts.

  • Relational interdependence views the self through the close relationships with others. Common in Westernized contexts.
  • Collective interdependence defines oneself through membership in a larger group. This type of understanding is more prevalent among non-Western people.

• The two main types of self-construal according to many theorists is Independent and Interdependent.

Self-Construal Studies

• Studies have supported the theory of self-construal through various research methodologies with different populations.

Indigenous Australian Self-Concept

• Holistic definition of aboriginal health and wellbeing that extends to the whole community.
• Encompasses the self, kin, family, community, traditional lands, ancestors, and spiritual existence.
• Challenges Western conceptions of the self.
• Historical determinants, social determinants, and political determinants are involved in determining the self-concept.