Mind, culture, and social science tunnel vision

Psychology, sociology, economics, and anthropology are all driven world-wide by a focus on norms in Western (and, in many cases, US) culture and individuals.  These have been generalized out as how "humans" behave and act and think and react — as global constants, reflective of how "human" brains work.

But some researchers in this area are beginning to discover that's not the case. Basic psychological and sociological truths can't be extended from testing American undergrads in campus labs to villagers in Peru (or government officials in Beijing). That would seem to be to be obvious, but it's in academia it hasn't been, and certainly not in political circles. Heck, American fetishism over democracy and individual freedoms aren't necessarily what folks elsewhere automatically value as highly as we do, as we keep learning to our (and their) sorrow.

A long article, but worth a read.