Evaluate one or more research methods used in the study of globalization and
behavior.
Globalization is the concept of culture spreading around the globe. One of the
behaviors that psychologists study is abnormal behavior. Ethan Watters has argued
that the prevalence of certain disorders like anorexia and depression has increased
as a result of globalization. Western definitions and symptoms of disorders are
increasingly being seen in countries that are “Westernizing.” How do we know
whether this is a valid argument? It is important for psychologists to evaluate the
methods used by researchers who make these claims.
Becker carried out a natural experiment to measure the role of globalization on
attitudes toward body weight in Fiji. They wanted to see if introducing television to
the island would lead to an increase in eating disorders. They studied two schools of
girls. Until television was introduced, being overweight was seen as beautiful. Girls'
attitudes toward eating were measured before the introduction of television. The
study was also a natural experiment - television was not an independent variable
that was manipulated by the researcher, but the researcher took advantage of
something that was happening in Fiji. The girls were given surveys and an interview
to confirm the results of the survey. The researchers found a significant increase in
negative attitudes toward body weight and a higher rate of dieting and purging
behavior. 77% reported that television had made them think differently about their
body shape.
The study is a natural experiment, which in addition to meaning that the researcher
did not manipulate the IV, also means that there were no controls for confounding
variables. The study was prospective, so it was able to see change over time.
However, it was also an imposed etic approach. The test (survey) that was given to
the girls was a Western test. This means that the researchers are assuming that the
behavior will be like the behaviors in the West. But the study does show an increase
in disordered eating. Natural experiments cannot be replicated, meaning that it is
not easy to determine the reliability of the results. However, other studies have
shown that the introduction of Western media in places like China and India has led
to similar results.
Another study was carried out by N and Uchida. They wanted to find out what
happens when there is a conflict between one’s “local culture” and one’s “global
culture.” The study that they did was a correlational study. They wanted to see if
there was a correlation between a person’s attitudes about conformity and
collectivism, their local culture, and the risk of hikikomori – a disorder in which
people isolate themselves from society. First, the participants were given a test to
see their level of risk for hikikomori. They then gave them a test for their level of
collectivism and attitudes toward Japanese society. They found that those
participants who were at high risk for hikikomori were also those that scored low on
both local culture (not agreeing with the conformity of Japanese society) and global
culture (not identifying with the world of the Internet). The study indicates that this
alienation increases the risk of hikikomori.
This study was a correlational study. It compared data from different tests and found
the relationship between the variables. The limitation of correlational research is
that there is no cause and effect that can be found. There is also the problem of
Evaluate one or more research methods used in the study of globalization and
behavior.
bidirectional ambiguity. It is not clear whether the alienation leads to hikikomori – or
whether the nature of hikikomori leads to feelings of alienation. In this study, they
also gathered information from surveys. These may be subject to demand
characteristics where the participants may fill it out in a certain way to be more
socially acceptable. Finally, there is the problem of how variables are defined.
Although the participants are assessed for “risk for hikikomori”, none of the
participants actually have hikikomori. There is, then, a concern about the validity of
the findings.
Globalization is a big concept that is difficult to operationalize. This makes designing
research to study its effect complicated. Much of the research done so far is
relatively new, meaning that many of the studies have not been replicated to
establish reliability. And yet, carrying out true experiments where an independent
variable is manipulated and a dependent variable is measured is rather unlikely.
This means it will be difficult to know the extent to which globalization causes
certain behaviors.
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