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Strategies for Strengthening Causal Inferences in Cross Cultural Research

The Consilience Approach

City University of Hong Kong, China

Fons J.R. van de Vijver

Tilburg University, The Netherlands, North-West University, South Africa

True experiments cannot be conducted in cross cultural research because it is impossible to assign participants to different cultures randomly. Cross cultural studies are therefore regarded as quasi-experimental research, and threats that jeopardize the validity of causal inferences in cross cultural research are reviewed. Borrowing from evolutionary biology and epidemiology, the consilience approach is advocated for strengthening the validity of cross cultural causal inferences. This approach holds that causal inferences in cross cultural research are most convincing when supported by diverse evidence based on a sound theoretical basis, multiple sources of data, different research methods, and explicit refutation of alternative interpretations. Three broad strategies for strengthening cross cultural causal inferences are proposed under the consilience framework, including the systematic contrast of cultural groups, the inclusion of covariates to rule out alternative explanations, and the use of multiple research methods, such as cross cultural experimentation. Future developments of cross cultural research methods are discussed.

Key Words: causal inferences • consilience • cross cultural studies • culture • research methodology

International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, Vol. 8, No. 2, 145-169 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/1470595808091788


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