Social Development
Volume 16, Issue 4, 2007, Pages 777-799

The effect of different cultural lenses on reliability and validity in observational data: The example of Chinese immigrant parent-toddler dinner interactions (Article)

Wang Y.Z.* , Wiley A.R. , Zhou X.
  • a University of New England, United States, Department of Psychology, University of New England, 11 Hills Beach Road, Biddeford, ME 04005, United States
  • b University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, United States, Department of Human and Community Development, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 904West Nevada Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, United States
  • c University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, United States, Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 603 E. Daniel Street, Champaign, IL 61820, United States

Abstract

This study used a mixed methodology to investigate reliability, validity, and analysis level with Chinese immigrant observational data. European-American and Chinese coders quantitatively rated 755 minutes of Chinese immigrant parent-toddler dinner interactions on parental sensitivity, intrusiveness, detachment, negative affect, positive affect, and parents' confidence. They also gave qualitative coding rationales for their quantitative ratings. Analysis of quantitative ratings indicated systematic differences associated with coder ethnicity. Such differences could threaten the reliability between coders with different ethnicities. Analysis of qualitative rationales revealed different cultural links between concepts and behavior cues, which could challenge the cross-cultural validity of a macro-level coding system. When a coding system is incongruous with coders' cultural schemata, even after intensive training, the effect of culture cannot be eliminated. Implications of these findings for observational cultural research are discussed. © Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2007.

Author Keywords

Chinese immigrants Validity Reliability Dinnertime observational data

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-35448984976&doi=10.1111%2fj.1467-9507.2007.00407.x&partnerID=40&md5=41939c5b683ea3961b224bdc5e995b96
DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9507.2007.00407.x
ISSN: 0961205X
Cited by: 7
Original Language: English