Answer to Question #101978 in Human Anatomy and Physiology for Damion longmore alonso

Question

esearchers try to use a truly representative sample of the population of people in whom they are interested—one of the main reasons for using random selection. Even so, the sample is usually selected from within a particular segment of the social world in which the researchers themselves live and work. For example, in the United States there are some fairly distinct differences between people from the northeast and people from the southeast, and the same can be true in many other countries. There are also differences between urban and rural areas. If a psychologist is conducting a study in a particular geographical area of a country, how might regional differences impact the study’s results? What measures could or should the psychologist take to minimize the impact?

Answer 1

Rentfrow & Jokela (2017) argue that individual differences in health, occupational success and, political ideology relate to the differences in specific psychological features and personality traits. As a result, it is important to acknowledge the fact that regional psychological differences exist where people from different regions experience divergent personality differences which are often linked to regional manifestations. Rentfrow & Jokela provide an example of regional psychological differences between Texans and New Yorkers to show that regional differences influence a difference in culture, attitudes, and personality. Therefore, the inappropriate generalization of results emerging from different regions may lead to inaccurate research findings and conclusions. As such, researchers ought to focus on understanding the culture of each region and sample of study to develop accurate analysis and results.

Citation: Rentfrow, P. J., & Jokela, M. (2017). Regional differences in personality: Causes and consequences. In A. T. Church (Ed.), The Praeger handbook of personality across cultures: Trait psychology across cultures (p. 225–249)