Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology · 2000 · 411 citations · 50 references
Social SciencesPsychologyComparative PsychologyCulturePsychometricsCross-cultural ComparisonCross-cultural InvarianceCross-cultural Measurement EquivalenceCross-cultural PsychologyFact-finding InvestigationsFact-finding ReportsItem Response Theory AnalysisMethodological ChangeMethodological Progress
The paper analyzes how methodological tools can correct the overemphasis on fact‑finding and accelerate theoretical progress in cross‑cultural psychology. The study delineates two sources of the problem—cross‑cultural psychologists’ own partis pris and those inherited from mainstream psychology—and describes methodological issues arising in studies by both groups. Future cross‑cultural research will largely be conducted by investigators focused on specific variables or instruments, while a small but influential core of dedicated cross‑cultural psychologists remains; key trends include a shift from exploration to explanation of cross‑cultural differences, affecting study design, and the cautious adoption of advanced statistical techniques such as item response theory, structural equation modeling, and multilevel modeling.
The extent to which methodological tools can help correct the overemphasis on fact finding and speed up the slow theoretical progress in cross-cultural psychology is analyzed. Two types of contributions to the current predicament are delineated. First, cross-cultural psychologists have created their own partis pris. Second, partis pris have been inherited from mainstream psychology. In the future, most cross-cultural studies will be carried out by researchers who have an interest in cultural variations on specific variables or instruments, whereas the group of researchers who spend their professional lives in cross-cultural psychology will remain small but influential. Methodological issues arising in studies by both groups are described. Important trends are (a) the change from exploration to explanation of cross-cultural differences, which has implications for the design of cross-cultural studies; and (b) the so-far-hesitant usage of recently developed statistical techniques, such as item response theory, structural equation modeling, and multilevel modeling.
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