cross-cultural research
the systematic study of human psychological processes and behavior across multiple cultures, involving the observation of similarities and differences in values, practices, and so forth between different societies. Cross-cultural research offers many potential advantages, informing theories that accommodate both individual and social sources of variation, but also involves numerous risks, notable among them the production of cultural knowledge that is incorrect because of flawed methodology. Indeed, there are a host of methodological concerns that go beyond monocultural studies, including issues concerning translation, measurement, equivalence, sampling, data analytic techniques, and data reporting. Also called cross-cultural method; cross-cultural study.