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An Epistemological Strategy for Initiating Scientific Revolution against WEIRD Psychology
1Research Center for Cultural China, National Taiwan University, Taipei City, Taiwan. kkhwang@ntu.edu.tw.
Integrative Psychological & Behavioral Science
|April 2, 2022
Summary
Western psychology research is often WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic) when applied to non-Western cultures, necessitating a scientific revolution for inclusive theories.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Cultural Psychology
- Philosophy of Science
Background:
- Critiques Western mainstream psychology's reliance on WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic) samples.
- Highlights the limitations and biases of applying Western research paradigms to non-Western cultures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To argue for a scientific revolution against the dominance of WEIRD psychology.
- To propose strategies for developing culture-inclusive psychological theories.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis drawing on Kuhn's (1962) Structure of Scientific Revolutions.
- Utilizes Hwang's (2019a) epistemological strategy for culture-inclusive theory construction.
Main Results:
- Western psychological research paradigms are fundamentally WEIRD when applied globally.
- Implanting WEIRD research can lead to self-colonization and hinder cultural understanding.
Conclusions:
- A crisis is needed to challenge and revolutionize WEIRD psychology.
- Culture-inclusive theories are essential to complement Western theories and advance global psychological understanding.
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