Abstract: The study of cultural phenomena is a major topic for behavioral sciences. Cross-cultural research adopts a comparative perspective in analyzing cultural phenomena, and is confronted with several unique problems in research methods. This paper reviews the major methodological issues in cross-cultural research, covering topics in research design, measurement, and data analysis. From a design perspective, the paper begins with the use of consilience methods to strengthen causal inferences in cross-cultural research. The paper then explores issues of measurement invariance/equivalence in cross-cultural research and the associated analytic procedures. Finally, the paper reviews the application of hierarchical linear modeling in cross-cultural research as well as trends in the development of cross-cultural research methods.

Key words: cross-cultural research, consilience approach, construct equivalence, measurement equivalence