Methodological Problems of Survey Research in Developing Countries: Implications for Intra- and International Comparisons by Robert E. Mitchell, Berkeley, California, U.S.a. Typescript, I7 pp

Abstract

This section is ushered in by two articles dealing with methodological problems. The author of the first article, R. E. MITCHELL, describes how current research problems in the developing countries affect the quality of survey materials which are being collected and what implications these practices have for crosscultural comparison. He discusses three general types of biases frequently encountered in evaluating materials which archives acquire and distribute: sampling errors, measurement bias, and interview bias. The second article by HELLERSBERG describes a technique of investigating the basic cultural dynamics of different peoples which provide them with a sense of belonging and security. The technique employed with these objectives is one of investigat ing how individuals from given cultures organize space. One of the pioneers in the field of comparative or transcultural psychiatry was Emil Kraepelin. His early observations in this area are reviewed by LAUTER. J. ARONSON compares and contrasts Soviet and American cultural values with respect to schizophrenia and to the handling of schizophrenic patients. BOURGUIGNON and PETTAY subject the existing literature and present concepts in the field of possession and trance to a critique. A review of a book on Magic, Faith, and Healing, edited by A. KIEV, concludes this section. This book is an anthology dealing with indigenous psychiatric beliefs and practices in some sixteen cultures.