There Is Nothing WEIRD About Basic Research: The Critical Role of Convenience Samples in Psychological Science.
Attention to issues of sample diversity and generalizability has increased dramatically in the past 15 years, as psychological scientists have confronted the limitations of relatively homogeneous samples. Though this reckoning was perhaps overdue and has undoubtedly shined a light on some poor resea...
| Publicado en: | American Psychologist Vol. 80; no. 7; pp. 1073 - 1081 |
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| Formato: | Artículo |
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American Psychological Association
Oct2025
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=188455988&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ssf uiTerm: 188455988 longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 0003066X APT jtl: American Psychologist issn: 0003066X maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Oct2025 vid: 80 iid: 7 pid: 34 pub: American Psychological Association artinfo: ui: 188455988 10.1037/amp0001443 ppf: 1073 ppct: 8 formats: tig: atl: There Is Nothing WEIRD About Basic Research: The Critical Role of Convenience Samples in Psychological Science. aug: au: Sherman, Jeffrey W. affil: Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis su: Psychiatry Patients' rights Human research subjects Participant-researcher relationships Professions Communication barriers Research ethics Education of psychologists Diversity & inclusion policies Statistical sampling sug: subj: Psychiatry Patients' rights Human research subjects Participant-researcher relationships Professions Communication barriers Research ethics Professional Organizations Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling Education of psychologists Diversity & inclusion policies Statistical sampling keyword: basic research external validity generalizability sample selection theory basic research external validity generalizability sample selection theory ab: Attention to issues of sample diversity and generalizability has increased dramatically in the past 15 years, as psychological scientists have confronted the limitations of relatively homogeneous samples. Though this reckoning was perhaps overdue and has undoubtedly shined a light on some poor research practices, recommendations surrounding sample diversity are sometimes applied to research that does not aim for generalizability across peoples. In this article, I seek to promote discussion about when and why sample diversity and generalizability matter. In doing so, I address problems with language surrounding generalizability, the broader question of generalizability beyond samples, challenges for determining sufficient generalizability, and the inherent question of moderation in psychological science, given the reality of limited time and resources. I then discuss the important roles that basic research plays in understanding group differences, producing generalizable knowledge, and developing applied interventions. Finally, I address issues of equity surrounding sample diversity, emphasizing the distinction between WEIRD samples and convenience samples and the importance of convenience samples for globalizing psychological science. Public Significance Statement: This article addresses critical questions about the generalizability of psychological research. Whereas generalizability across samples is critical for research designed for practical application, it is not for strictly theoretical work attempting to understand some phenomenon. There are significant implications for the cost and efficiency of research. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: N holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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