Fundamentals of Research on Culture and Psychology: Theory and Methods

Author(s) Valery Chirkov

2016, Routledge

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Price $54 (pb) $165 (hb) | Pages 308 | ISBN 9780415820325, 9780415820318

This is the first book that provides detailed guidelines of how to conduct multi-disciplinary research to study people’s behaviors in different cultures. Readers are encouraged to look beyond disciplinary boundaries to address issues between individuals and their socio-cultural environments so as to design the most effective studies possible. The core philosophical and theoretical assumptions that underlie the strategies, designs, and techniques used when researching cultural issues are examined. The book reviews all the steps that go into doing cultural research from formulating the research problem to selecting the most appropriate method for data analysis. Realist and interpretivist paradigms together with the theory of cultural models and quantitative, qualitative, mixed-method, and multiple-design strategies are reviewed. Case studies, ethnographies, and interviewing techniques are emphasized throughout. Chapters open with learning objectives and end with a conclusion, a glossary, questions, exercises, and recommended readings. Numerous multidisciplinary examples, tables, and figures demonstrate and synthesize the analysis of data. Information boxes provide historical notes and how-to boxes provide tips on methodological issues.

Part 1: Thinking and Reflecting  1. Disciplinary thinking: From anthropology to psychology 2. Theoretical thinking: Four perspectives in studying psychology in sociocultural contexts 3. Philosophical thinking: Induction, deduction, and positivism 4. Philosophical thinking: Abduction, retroduction, interpretivism, and realism  Part 2: Planning Research  5. Research problem, purposes, and research questions6. Working with concepts, terms, and theories 7. Research strategies and designs  Part 3: Practical aspects of doing research  8. The types of studies on culture and psychology 9. Quantitative comparative studies: Equivalence, translation, and measurement invariance 10. Ethnography 11. Ethical concernsConclusion: Final words of encouragement Index