Aspects of language use in cross-cultural psychology

Abstract

Language and language use are such pervasive yet unobtrusive features of cross-cultural psychological research that their impact on studies is often underestimated or overlooked. In this paper three major aspects of language use in cross-cultural psychological research are discussed: (a) language as a field of study, (b) language of tests or measuring instruments as a methodological problem in studies, and (c) language as a medium in which studies are done and communicated. The paper provides a brief overview of language related research and methodology in cross-cultural psychology.