Fundamentals of research on culture and psychology : Theory and methods Valery Chirkov

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 questions 6. 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 concerns Conclusion: Final words of encouragement Index

This unique text covers the core research methods and the philosophical assumptions that underlie various strategies, designs, and methodologies used when researching cultural issues. It teaches readers why and for what purpose one conducts research on cultural issues so as to give them a better sense of the thinking that should happen before they go out and collect data. More than a "methods text", it is about all the steps that go into doing cross-cultural research. It discusses how to select the most appropriate methods for data analysis and which approach to use, and details quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods for experimental lab studies and ethnographic field work.