Plenary Session: Toward a Global Psychological Science

Wednesday, October 23, 2024   

8:00 AM – 9:30 AM EDT (12:00 – 13:30 UTC) 

Global psychological science is critical for understanding the nature of human behavior through an inclusive lens informed by researchers and research from around the world. From an interdisciplinary perspective, this session highlights how psychological scientists can advance our understanding of human behavior.

Beyond the Western Shadow: New Frontiers in Cultural Psychology

Shinobu Kitayama, University of Michigan, USA 

Psychological research has so far been largely confined to Western societies, casting much of the world into the shadows of this narrow focus. Kitayama will explore how renewed efforts to investigate diverse non-Western societies can reveal critical insights about the West that have been obscured by its own shadow.

Cultivating a Global Mindset: Advancing Psychological Science for an Interconnected World

Sylvia Chen, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China 

This presentation aims to inspire a more inclusive and culturally sensitive approach to psychological science, fostering a global perspective on understanding human behavior. Chen will highlight the importance of integrating a global mindset and the contributions of psychological concepts and theories from Majority World contexts in research and practice.

A Problem in Theory: Developing Local Field Sites, Natural Experiments and the Field of Historical Psychology

Joseph Henrich, Harvard University, USA 

The most important obstacle to constructing a global psychological science lies in the depauperate condition of the field’s theoretical frameworks. Unlike more mature sciences, most psychologists don’t collectively operate within a shared theoretical framework that generates a broad range of interdependent hypotheses that explain how and why particular aspects of psychology may vary across populations. Richer frameworks will encourage diverse researchers to develop better methods for collecting data from communities around the world.