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Culturally biased norms, discriminatory outcomes: Why developmental psychology must go WILD

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 July 2026

Federica Amici Open the ORCID record for Federica Amici [Opens in a new window] ,
Lucas Bietti Open the ORCID record for Lucas Bietti [Opens in a new window]  and
Katja Liebal
Federica Amici*
Affiliation:
Human Biology and Primate Cognition, Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany amici@eva.mpg.de katja.liebal@uni-leipzig.de Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
Lucas Bietti
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway lucas.bietti@ntnu.no
Katja Liebal
Affiliation:
Human Biology and Primate Cognition, Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany amici@eva.mpg.de katja.liebal@uni-leipzig.de Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

To illustrate the potential risks of overlooking WILD (i.e., Worldwide, Insitu, Local and Diverse) approaches in developmental psychology, we examined possible cultural biases in child protection interventions across WEIRD (i.e., Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic) countries. Analyses of national statistics revealed that children from minority cultural backgrounds are consistently overrepresented in care systems. We argue that equitable policies must adopt WILD-informed frameworks that respect cultural diversity while ensuring children’s safety and well-being.

Information

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 49 , 2026 , e259
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press

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