What are cultural biases?

Cultural biases are the tendencies to interpret, judge, and interact with people and the world based on the norms, values, beliefs, and practices of one's own culture. These biases can skew our understanding and interactions in various ways:

1. Selective Perception: Dan Kahan explains the concept of "cultural cognition," where individuals are likely to credit or discredit information in ways that confirm the cultural views prevalent within their communities. This affects people's decision-making and belief systems selectively, aligning with their cultural predispositions despite empirical data or expert testimony 1.

2. Impaired Recognition: When cultural biases entangle with one's identity, they can impair one's ability to recognize expertise or factual information if it contradicts their cultural views. This mechanism is seen in controversies where both sides claim scientific support or expert endorsement, depending on alignment with their sociocultural beliefs 1.

3. Baseline Assumptions: As discussed by Musa al-Gharbi, academics and others often use their own cultural norms as a baseline to judge others. Deviations from this baseline are frequently perceived negatively, reflecting a deep-seated cultural bias where one's own cultural perspective is viewed as the norm or superior 2.

These cultural biases can affect our communication, behavior, and policy preferences, often leading to misunderstanding and conflicts when interacting with people from different cultural backgrounds.