CONTEMPORARY PSYCHOLOGY ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
…Because Science Should Not Be WEIRD
References
Resources and Further Reading
Ethan A. McMahan, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Western Oregon University where he teaches courses in research methods, advanced research methods, and positive psychology. He is passionate about undergraduate education in psychology and has served Psi Chi members in several ways over the last few years, including as a faculty advisor, Psi Chi Western Region Steering Committee Member, Grants Chair, and most recently, as the Western Regional Vice-President of Psi Chi. His research interests focus on hedonic and eudaimonic approaches to well-being, folk conceptions of happiness, and the relationship between nature and human well-being. His recent work examines how exposure to immersive simulations of natural environments impact concurrent emotional state and, more broadly, how regular contact with natural environments may be one route by which individuals achieve optimal feeling and functioning. He has published in the Journal of Positive Psychology, the Journal of Happiness Studies, Personality and Individual Differences, and Ecopsychology, among other publications. He completed his undergraduate training at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and holds a PhD in experimental psychology from the University of Wyoming.
The field of psychology has so far built a science of the mind and behavior primarily using people from a select set of similar cultures. If this continues to be the case, we run the risk of missing much of the richness and diversity of human experience. We will not understand psychological functioning in the majority of the global population. And we will undermine the legitimacy of our science. After all, psychology is the study of the mind and behavior …not the study of only WEIRD minds and WEIRD behavior. By taking culture into account, you can contribute to the development of our field, you can help correct the cultural bias in our research, and you can have a meaningful impact. Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race. Division 45 of the American Psychological Association. division45.org Society for Cross-Cultural Research. https://sccr.org/ Shiraev, E. B., & Levy, D. A. (2020). Cross-cultural psychology: Critical thinking and contemporary applications. Routledge.
Arnett, J. J. (2016). The neglected 95%: Why American psychology needs to become less American. In A. E. Kazdin (Ed.), Methodological issues and strategies in clinical research (pp. 115–132). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/14805-008 Diriwächter, R. (2004). Völkerpsychologie: The synthesis that never was. Culture & Psychology, 10(1), 85–109. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354067X04040930 Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture’s consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions and organizations across nations. Sage.
ADVERTISEMENT
Psi Chi Learning Resources Did you know that Psi Chi hosts a monthly webinar series? Register to attend upcoming events and look back at past recordings. Topics covered include everything from forensic psychology to tips for selecting mentors for doctoral programs.
LEARN SOMETHING NEW TODAY
https://www.psichi.org/page/learningresources
14
EYE ON PSI CHI SPRING 2022
COPYRIGHT © 2022 PSI CHI