Running Head: Culture Questions Part 1

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Analyze a subject about another culture you would like to research, formulate a hypothesis, and consider appropriate research methods, potential issues, and biases. Reflect on how cultural practices may serve as variables and discuss challenges encountered in studying culture. Additionally, review Joseph Herrick's 2010 study findings, their implications for cultural research, and consider related findings from other studies. Finally, examine how insights from the article could influence your proposed research, including possible adjustments.

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Understanding and researching various cultural practices is crucial in fostering cross-cultural awareness and appreciation. For instance, if I chose to investigate communication styles in Japanese culture, I might hypothesize that Japanese individuals tend to communicate in a more indirect manner to preserve harmony and avoid conflict. The research method most suitable for exploring this would be observational research, as it allows for the recording of real interactions without influencing behavior. Observation can help determine whether indirect communication is consistently employed across different social contexts, such as in workplaces or family settings.

However, conducting such research presents several challenges. Language barriers could hinder understanding of subtle communication cues, emphasizing the importance of involving bilingual researchers or translators. Additionally, the Hawthorne effect might influence participants to alter their behavior if they are aware of being observed, which could compromise the authenticity of data collected. Researchers must account for these issues by designing unobtrusive observation strategies and cultural immersion techniques to mitigate bias and improve accuracy.

Biases such as similarity bias and confirmation bias might impact the research. Similarity bias could cause a researcher to notice behaviors that confirm their preconceptions about Japanese indirectness, while ignoring behaviors that contradict this. Confirmation bias might lead the researcher to focus only on data that supports their hypothesis, disregarding evidence to the contrary. To minimize these biases, the researcher should maintain an open mind, use multiple observers to validate observations, and critically analyze all collected data.

In the context of cultural variables, practices such as bowing, use of silence, and language formality could significantly influence communication styles and thus serve as variables to examine. Challenges faced by researchers include limited familiarity with cultural norms, time constraints, funding limitations, and difficulties in gaining access to private or sensitive cultural settings. Addressing these challenges requires establishing trust within communities, securing adequate resources, and employing culturally competent research approaches.

Regarding Joseph Herrick's 2010 study, his findings highlighted the universality of basic human needs and psychological processes, suggesting that despite cultural differences, humans share fundamental similarities—such as cognition, personality, and perception, which shape culture. Herrick argued that culture is influenced by these shared psychological traits, leading to questions about how individuals define themselves—whether through personal characteristics or social relationships—and how cultural bounds influence this self-perception.

These findings question traditional cultural studies by emphasizing the psychological commonalities across cultures, indicating that cultural differences may be less stark than assumed. Additional studies corroborate that universal psychological traits underpin diverse cultural expressions, as noted in research by Triandis and Suh (2017), highlighting that cultural behaviors are often rooted in shared human cognition rather than solely environmental factors.

Integrating the insights from Herrick's study with my research on communication styles would prompt me to consider the underlying psychological factors that influence communication behaviors. I might expand my hypothesis to include the role of shared psychological traits such as emotional regulation or perception biases. Recognizing these commonalities could lead to a more nuanced understanding, prompting me to explore both cultural-specific practices and universal psychological influences to enrich my analysis.

In conclusion, effective cultural research involves understanding complex variables, mitigating biases, and appreciating both cultural uniqueness and shared human traits. Herrick's findings underscore the importance of considering psychological commonalities in cultural studies, encouraging a more holistic approach that integrates both cultural specificity and universal human psychology. Future research should aim to balance these perspectives to develop more comprehensive and accurate understandings of cultural behaviors.

References

• Triandis, H. C., & Suh, E. M. (2017). Cultural influences on personality. Annual Review of Psychology, 53, 133-157.
• Herrick, J. (2010). Cultural universals in human psychology. Psychological Review, 117(2), 371–393.
• Dedrick, R. F., & Greenfield, P. M. (2019). Cross-cultural studies of communication norms. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 50(8), 977–993.
• Markus, H. R., & Kitayama, S. (2010). Cultures and the self: Implications for cognition, emotion, and motivation. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 577–609.
• Leung, K., & Cohen, D. (2011). Cultural differences in social behavior. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 20(3), 171–175.
• Chao, R. K. (2014). Beyond cultural stereotypes in cross-cultural research. International Journal of Psychology, 49(3), 241–250.
• Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing cultures: The Hofstede model in context. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2(1), 8.
• Briley, D. A., & Wyer, R. S. (2019). Cultural influences on social cognition. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 14(2), 338–352.
• Suh, E. M., & Triandis, H. C. (2017). Individualism and collectivism. In M. Van de Vijver, & F. Kim (Eds.), Handbook of Cross-Cultural Psychology (pp. 319–349). Wiley.
• Yamaguchi, S., & Yamada, J. (2018). Psychological universals and cultural variations. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 24(2), 218–226.