Too WEIRD, Too Fast? Preprints About COVID-19 in the Psychological Sciences

Abstract

That behavioral sciences are overrepresented by some countries, in terms of samples and authors, is a well-documented finding. Considering the immediate policy implications, the present study explored whether this bias also exists for research on the coronavirus pandemic. Preprints posted on PsyArXiv between two time periods in 2020 (March-April and May-December) with keywords related to “COVID-19” were sourced and their participant and author composition were assessed. Western and rich democracies were overrepresented in terms of authors and participants; preprints posted by authors from western and democratic countries were cited more and were published in journals with a higher impact factor. Implications, especially regarding a reductionist bifurcation of research as “WEIRD” or “non-WEIRD,” are discussed.