Go WILD, Not WEIRD

Abstract

Reliance on convenience samples for psychological experiments has led to the oversampling of Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) populations (Henrich et al. 2010a). Our analysis of academic articles from six leading psychology journals revealed a significantly lower but still very high percentage of studies from European and English-speaking nations (92%), compared to a decade ago (95%), largely due to more studies from Asia (6%). Further analysis of four cognitive science of religion (CSR) journals showed how a more representative field is possible (67% from the Western and Other region), with proportionately more studies in Latin America (4%) and Africa (7%) than psychology (<1% each). Thanks to its interdisciplinary nature, CSR is in a good position to address “WEIRD” problems and may be able to offer psychology methodological and epistemological tools that involve diversifying sample populations, increasing ecological validity, capturing the causes and consequences of cultural variation, and developing novel methodologies. Despite the challenges, we encourage more researchers to embrace the lessons offered by CSR’s history of global and interdisciplinary research. Where WEIRD identifies the populations we need to stop privileging, conducting work that is not just Worldwide, but also In Situ, Local, and Diverse (WILD) is what researchers themselves can aspire to. Just as nineteenth century “armchair anthropologists” were replaced by generations of ethnographers who went out into the real world to study human variation, so modern day psychologists need to conduct experiments outside the lab with suitably heterogeneous populations.

Feeling and thought in collective action on social issues: Toward a systems perspective

“…Rather, the relationships between them are mutually constitutive. Researchers are also calling for more diverse and intersectional examinations of actions, contexts, and populations (e.g., Anyiwo et al., 2020; Ayanian et al., 2020; Newson et al., 2020; Rosales & Langhout, 2020). Broad shifts in meta‐theory, to perspectives that “denaturalize” (e.g., Adams et al., 2015) decontextualized and mechanistic approaches’ hegemony of the field, are one important path forward (e.g., Bou Zeineddine et al., in press).…”

The Role of Subtle Signals Linked to Religious Rituals in the Evaluation of Newcomers by a Village Community

“…(Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich, and Democratic) societies have been pointed out (Henrich, Heine, Norenzayan, 2010). Newson et al (2020) offered a solution in the form of a W.I.L.D. (Worldwide In Situ, Local, and Diverse) approach to research (Newson et al, 2020).…”

“…Newson et al (2020) offered a solution in the form of a W.I.L.D. (Worldwide In Situ, Local, and Diverse) approach to research (Newson et al, 2020). This approach has also been used and has proven to be significant in the study of signaling and rituals in recent years (e.g.…”

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“…The sample is also WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) due to its Northern hemisphere sample. Nonetheless, our research is perhaps best framed with the WILD paradigm, i.e., research that is Worldwide, In Situ , Local, and Distinct ( Newson et al, 2020 ). In particular, the rave cultural context mirrors many of the core features of communal entheogenic psychedelic rituals.…”