Sample Representativeness in Psychological and Brain Science

Subjects: Psychology >> Other Disciplines of Psychology submitted time 2024-03-28

Weibiao Liu Zhiyi Chen Hu Chuan-Peng

Abstract： Psychological and brain science study human behavior and the human brain by study volunteers who participate these studies. Given the mind and behavior of participants influenced by their own biological and social factors, the generalizability of findings in these fields largely depends on the representativeness of samples. However, the representativeness of samples in psychological and brain science has long been criticized as WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic). In recent years, several meta-researches have surveyed the representativeness of samples in published studies across different subfields, but the overall understanding of sample representativeness in psychological and brain science is lacking. In this review, we analyze these meta-researches to provide a more comprehensive perspective on the current state of sample representativeness in the field.
Two major issues were found in these meta-researches. First, much important sample information was never reported in the published studies. Most psychological and brain science studies reported participants’ gender, age, and country, while participants’ race/ethnicity, education level, and socioeconomic status were less commonly reported. Other important demographic variables, such as rural/urban, were reported completely ignored. And from a temporal perspective, the reporting of these demographic variables has increased only slightly in recent years compared to the past. The current situation of neglect in reporting demographic information has not fundamentally changed.
Second, based on the reported information, the current sample in the field is far from being representative of the world population: most participants are young, highly educated Caucasian females in Western countries; middle-aged and older, less educated, disadvantaged people in and outside Western countries are less likely to be studied. In terms of countries, African, Latin American, and Middle Eastern countries appear fewer in psychological and brain science research.
These two issues may be due to the following reasons: convenience sampling as the main sampling method; Western researchers dominating the research of psychology and brain science, with most of the editors-in-chief, editorial board members, and authors coming from Europe and America; traditionally, psychology and brain science under-valued the effect of culture and various demographic factors; the assumption that findings from Western participants can be generalized to all human beings. Addressing the issue of sample representativeness in psychological and brain sciences requires a concerted effort by researchers, academic societies, journals, and funding agencies: Researchers should collect and report detailed demographic information about participants, state the limitations of generalizability, and use sampling methods that can increase representativeness whenever possible (e.g., probability sampling); academic societies should raise the awareness of the representativeness issues by organizing more academic symposium or workshops on this topic; journals should increase the representativeness of editorial board members and encourage more rigorous research with samples from underrepresented groups or studies that examine the generalizability of important findings; funding agencies can encourage researchers to pay more attention to study groups from underrepresented countries, and provide financial support for studying hard-to-research population. Improving sample representativeness will enhance the application of psychological and brain science knowledge to real-life setting and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review

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