SFU psychology associate professor Tanya Broesch is co-leading an international team of social scientists that is studying the unique scientific and ethical challenges of cross-cultural research.

Recommendations for navigating ethical challenges in cross-cultural research

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Increasingly, social scientists are asked to expand their data collection beyond WEIRD (Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic) populations.

That has prompted an international team of social scientists, led by SFU psychology associate professor Tanya Broesch and co-lead Alyssa Crittenden, a University of Nevada researcher, to study the unique scientific and ethical challenges of cross-cultural research.

“There has been a recent shift in the social sciences—a push to sample populations that are more representative of the world’s population,” says Broesch. “However, with that shift also came so-called ‘helicopter’ or ‘extractive’ research. This refers to the fast process of visiting an unfamiliar culture and conducting a study with little regard for the impact on the participating communities.”