Editorial: From West to East: Recent Advances in Psychometrics and Psychological Instruments in Asia

Abstract

Editorial on the Research Topic From West to East: Recent Advances in Psychometrics and Psychological Instruments in Asia

Over the past several decades, researchers have become increasingly aware of cultural influences on psychological processes. Yet, the majority of what we know about psychology is still based on published research that, for the most part, has been conducted in Western Euro-American populations-more specifically, Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) populations. The issue of the generalizability and applicability of psychological theories outside of WEIRD populations is one that has been increasingly raised in the literature (e.g., Laajaj et al., 2019; Muthukrishna et al., 2020; Roberts et al., 2020). The lack of research in non-Western cultures has been partly attributed to methodological issues especially the lack of cross-culturally valid measurement tools.

Most psychological instruments are developed in Western cultural contexts. There are various challenges in the application of this sort of psychological research and methods that have been conducted and developed in the West to non-Western cultures, and, in particular, to Asian cultural contexts. These challenges include, but are not limited to, issues of language, incongruent modes of expressions, and different cultural/societal norms and cognitive styles.

The current special issue summarizes and promotes recent advances in psychometrics and cross-cultural measurements of psychology in Asian communities. The special issue includes 32 research articles across various measurement topics, including the validation of psychological instruments for Asian communities that were originally developed in Western cultures, developing indigenous assessments for Asian communities, and applying advanced quantitative tools to address psychometric issues that are essential for cross-cultural research.