For the most part, the theories you explored in this course focused on Western cultures. Western cultures often are the baseline when conducting cross-cultural comparisons. Miao and Wang’s (2003) article examining Chinese developmental psychology provides insight into how another culture examines human development. While major developmental theorists and researchers (e.g., Gesell) influenced Chinese researchers, the topics of interest for Chinese researchers did not necessarily reflect those of Western researchers.

This course has introduced multiple perspectives and presented culturally diverse research examining all phases of human development. For this Discussion, consider what led research to be conducted to examine diverse settings and groups. Was it an attempt to broaden the population within which the findings could be applied, a reaction to a gap in the literature, or perhaps a critique of a conclusion or theory?

If you have not had an opportunity to delve into a statistics or methodology course, some of the techniques in this week’s research articles might be confusing, but the process that the researchers used should be understandable.

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Review this week’s Learning Resources and consider the applicability of American/Western developmental psychology to Non-Western countries and cultures.

By Day 3

Post your thoughts about the applicability of American/Western developmental psychology to Non-Western countries and cultures. Explain why it is important for developmental psychology to consider cross-cultural perspectives explaining human development. Justify your post with specific examples and citations from the Learning Resources. Use proper APA format and citations. Zero plagiarizing, Quote work, No.com’s

Required Readings

Cole, M. (2013). Differences and deficits in psychological research in historical perspective: A commentary on the special section. Developmental Psychology, 49(1), 84–91. doi:10.1037/a0029623
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.

Russell, S. T. (2015). Human developmental science for social justice. Research in Human Development, 12(3–4), 274–279. doi:10.1080/15427609.2015.1068049
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.

Serpell, R., & Marfo, K. (2014). Some long-standing and emerging research lines in Africa. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 2014(146), 1–22. doi:10.1002/cad.20070
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.

Stein, G. L., Cupito, A. M., Mendez, J. L., Prandoni, J., Huq, N., & Westerberg, D. (2014). Familism through a developmental lens. Journal of Latina/o Psychology, 2(4), 224–250. doi:10.1037/lat0000025
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.

Sternberg, R. J. (2014). The development of adaptive competence: Why cultural psychology is necessary and not just nice. Developmental Review, 34(3), 2087–224. doi:10.1016/j.dr.2014.05.004
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.

Walden University. (2016). Social change. Retrieved from https://www.waldenu.edu/about/social-change

WORLD Policy Analysis Center. (2015). Retrieved from http://worldpolicycenter.org/

Answer preview

Power based on the perception of social scientists and diverse scholars like Bent Flybjerg has cultural and symbolic significance. This is evident in all human affairs areas like public policy, gender, and health, to mention a few. Leaders have to demonstrate their critical thinking and rationality when making decisions that would impact society positively. However, frequent cases that arise when people are in…

 

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