Worldwide, cross-cultural researchers across the social sciences, use the vast quantity of already collected data from the anthropological record to try to understand cultural universals and differences in the past and the present. More specifically, they use scientific methods to test theories and explore models that may help explain observed differences in the entire repertoire of human behavior - from mate selection to warfare, from child rearing to food sharing, from the production and distribution of wealth to the treatment of illness...and much more.
The morning of the full-day workshop will cover the logic of cross-cultural research, relationships between theory and hypotheses, types of research questions that can be answered with cross-cultural research, the derivation of testable hypotheses, creating quantitative measures from qualitative descriptions, dealing with bias by coders and ethnographers, coding variables, choosing a sample of societies to study, and common criticisms. The afternoon will be devoted to demonstrations and hands-on coding and search exercises using eHRAF World Cultures and eHRAF Archaeology, databases containing descriptive ethnographic and archaeological materials from over 330 cultures and over 100 archaeological traditions, respectively for conducting cross-cultural research.