Standardization to Account for Cross-Cultural Response Bias

Abstract

The article reviews standardization methods commonly employed to adjust for response bias in cross-cultural research. First, different standardization procedures are reviewed and a classification scheme is provided. Standardization procedures are classified according to the statistical information used (means, standard deviation) and the source of this information (individual, group, or culture). Second, empirical research in JCCP between 1970 and 2002 is reviewed. Standardization has become more common in the 1990s, and there is a trend to rely more on standardized data. Most studies used standardization prior to analysis of variance and factor analytical techniques. However, an analysis of statistical properties of standardized measures indicates that results based on standardization are ambiguous. The use of statistical techniques and the interpretation of results based on standardized data are discussed.