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Post date: May 01, 2016 8:46:33 AM
Was listening to item on radio about psychology and the interview kept referring to a weird research population. Took me a while to click that weird was not strange but an acronym. Apparently something like 70% of the published research in psychology originates from the USA and the bulk of this is done using first year college students - the WEIRD population. Refers to Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich and Democratic. It explains why some of the studies that get published (such as that if you show people words that relate to age/old) they walk slower afterwards) aren't able to be reproduced in other settings.
Interesting thought that this research population is always available and obviously has vested interest in being involved.
Is it WEIRD?
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