Discussion 1: Challenges to Cross-Cultural Research

Challenges to cross-cultural research are ample and significant. Pragmatic issues may preclude long term immersion in the culture due to financial issues or lack of sufficient time. Additionally, translation issues may make it difficult to achieve a one–to-one correspondence on questionnaire items used in multiple cultures and languages. Additionally, there are often delicate negotiations across gender, age, status, religious, and economic backgrounds that can involve power and privilege in ways that require careful and appropriate discussion to resolve ethically and to preserve the integrity of the research, researchers, and research participants. As you move forward in your future professional work, take the time to consider the challenges researchers face in light of growing need to further understand the diverse cultures in the world at large. You will find that this type of research will be critically important to further your professional growth and knowledge.

For this Discussion, you will examine the challenges to cross-cultural research.

To Prepare

• Review this week’s Learning Resources and consider the types of challenges researchers face when conducting cross-cultural research.

Post and explain three major challenges to conducting cross-cultural research. Then, suggest one way to solve one of the challenges.

 

Learning Resources

Required Readings

Karasz, A., & Singelis, T. M. (2009). Qualitative and mixed methods research in cross-cultural psychology: Introduction to the special issue. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 40(6), 909–916

Leech, N. L., & Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2009). A typology of mixed methods research designs. Quality and Quantity, 43(2), 265–275. doi:10.1007/s11135-007-9105-3

Malda, M., Van de Vijver, F. J. R., Srinivasan, K., Transler, C., Sukumar, P., & Rao, K. (2008). Adapting a cognitive test for a different culture: An illustration of qualitative procedures. Psychology Science Quarterly, 50(4), 451–468.

Miller, K. E., Omidian, P., Quraishy, A. S., Quraishy, N., Nasiry, M. N., Nasiry, S.,… & Yaqubi, A. A. (2006). The Afghan symptom checklist: A culturally grounded approach to mental health assessment in a conflict zone. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 76(4), 423–433.

Rich, G., Sirikantraporn, S., & Jean-Charles, W. (2018). The concept of posttraumatic growth in an adult sample from Port-Au-Prince, Haiti: A mixed methods study. In G. Rich & S. Sirikantraporn (Eds.), Human strengths and resilience: Developmental, cross-cultural, and international Perspectives (pp. 21–38).Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.
Credit Line: International Differences in Well-Being, by Diener, J.; Helliwell, J. ; Kahneman, D. Copyright 2010 by Oxford University Press. Reprinted by permission of Oxford University Press via the Copyright Clearance Center. 

Van de Vijver, F. J. R. (2009). Types of comparative studies in cross-cultural psychology. Online readings in psychology and culture, 2(2), pp.1–12.

Credit Line: Fons J. R. van de Vijver. (2009). Types of Comparative Studies in Cross-Cultural Psychology. Retrieved from ​https://doi.org/10.9707/2307-0919.1017. Used with permission of International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology.

Van de Vijver, F. J. R., & Tanzer, N. K. (2004). Bias and equivalence in cross-cultural assessment: An overview. European Review of Applied Psychology, 54(2), 119–135.

 

presentation in which you address the following for your colleagues. Integrate theory from the literature throughout your presentation.

• Offer brief descriptions of the context and theorists associated with the collaborative model.
• Describe the therapeutic relationship, including the fact that a collaborative therapist has a philosophical stance.
• Explain the concepts of shifting the meanings and beliefs of clients. Feel free to cite examples from the video you watched. Please use dialogue and interactions from the film to demonstrate your points.
• Explain how the concepts of seeking to restructure client interactions or direct the client to change their behavior work. The questions focus on general types of change that any therapy model might address. A model can target cognitive changes (changes in thinking or beliefs), behavioral changes (changes in behaviors or interactions), or emotional changes (changes in how people feel) or a combination of these. The questions in this assignment are referring to these more general types of changes. They are essentially saying, “How does collaborative therapy make cognitive changes (changes in meaning/beliefs)?” and “How does collaborative therapy make behavioral changes (changes in interaction/behavior)?” For example, if a therapist is more of a partner, rather than being directive, what does this mean for how this therapist might help family members change their way of interacting with each other? Describe model interventions as outlined in your resources. Then, connect the theory to the examples from the video you watched.
• Review how collaborative therapists focus on strengths and resiliency. How could this strategy be applied to clients with whom your colleagues in this agency work?
• Describe to your colleagues how this therapy model and techniques could be used with the recovery model.
• Explain how you believe this model will enhance your colleagues’ ability to intervene in the lives of clients served by the agency.

The eye-of-the-storm technique is an experiential, teaching technique heralded by Jane Elliot, and used to enlighten youngsters on the impact of overt racism and discrimination.

Micro-assaults are covert or subtle acts of discrimination that plague minority, dis-empowered or disenfranchised groups in our contemporary world.

Watch the following video on the Eye of the Storm technique. Then, reflect upon applying this pedagogical exercise to microaggressions.

Identify a current social cause (example: gender discrimination) and write a paper describing how you would implement an eye-of-the-storm teaching technique/demonstration to highlight micro-assaults plaguing a group.

Please identify the social cause (e.g., gender discrimination), the social group (e.g., women), the micro-assaults you want to expose your “class” to, and the strategy(-ies) you will use to induce the eye-of-the-storm technique (i.e., what will you do). Please be creative and concise.

More specifically, please address the following points in your paper:

1. Explain micro-aggressions/assaults/invalidations.

2. Explain prejudice, discrimination, stereotype, and racism, as well as how these concepts specifically relate to modern prejudice (e.g., microaggressions

3. Describe the social cause, the social group affected, and the micro-assaults you want to expose your “class” to; i.e., describe to whom and how you will do “eye of the storm”

4. Describe strategies you will use to induce the eye-of-the-storm technique

Discussion 2: Advantages and Disadvantages of Different Methods in Cross-Cultural Research

In cross-cultural psychology research, a broad range of techniques is utilized to determine the best way to access critical data. Each technique has its advantages and disadvantages. For example, laboratory experiments may offer great control and ability to examine issues of cause and effect, but may not always reflect actual real-world conditions, especially in cross cultural situations. As an additional example, long term field work and interviews conducted by living in a given cultural setting for a year or two, may offer the possibility of many nuanced observations, yet such qualitative work will not lead to statistical or experimental designs. Each method tends to have pros and cons, rather than one method being the “right” one for every situation. For this Discussion, you will explore the advantages and disadvantages of using different research methods in cross-cultural research.

Post and explain one advantage and one disadvantage of quantitative research for cross-cultural psychology. Then, describe one advantage and one disadvantage of qualitative research for cross-cultural psychology. Use examples from the studies provided to support your thinking.

 

Learning Resources

Required Readings

Karasz, A., & Singelis, T. M. (2009). Qualitative and mixed methods research in cross-cultural psychology: Introduction to the special issue. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 40(6), 909–916

Leech, N. L., & Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2009). A typology of mixed methods research designs. Quality and Quantity, 43(2), 265–275. doi:10.1007/s11135-007-9105-3

Malda, M., Van de Vijver, F. J. R., Srinivasan, K., Transler, C., Sukumar, P., & Rao, K. (2008). Adapting a cognitive test for a different culture: An illustration of qualitative procedures. Psychology Science Quarterly, 50(4), 451–468.

Miller, K. E., Omidian, P., Quraishy, A. S., Quraishy, N., Nasiry, M. N., Nasiry, S.,… & Yaqubi, A. A. (2006). The Afghan symptom checklist: A culturally grounded approach to mental health assessment in a conflict zone. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 76(4), 423–433.

Rich, G., Sirikantraporn, S., & Jean-Charles, W. (2018). The concept of posttraumatic growth in an adult sample from Port-Au-Prince, Haiti: A mixed methods study. In G. Rich & S. Sirikantraporn (Eds.), Human strengths and resilience: Developmental, cross-cultural, and international Perspectives (pp. 21–38).Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.
Credit Line: International Differences in Well-Being, by Diener, J.; Helliwell, J. ; Kahneman, D. Copyright 2010 by Oxford University Press. Reprinted by permission of Oxford University Press via the Copyright Clearance Center.

Van de Vijver, F. J. R. (2009). Types of comparative studies in cross-cultural psychology. Online readings in psychology and culture, 2(2), pp.1–12.

Credit Line: Fons J. R. van de Vijver. (2009). Types of Comparative Studies in Cross-Cultural Psychology. Retrieved from ​https://doi.org/10.9707/2307-0919.1017. Used with permission of International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology.

Van de Vijver, F. J. R., & Tanzer, N. K. (2004). Bias and equivalence in cross-cultural assessment: An overview. European Review of Applied Psychology, 54(2), 119–135.