Beyond WEIRD Humans and STRANGE Dogs: Using Big-Team Science to Improve Generalizability and Reproducibility in Comparative Psychology

Abstract

Canine science aims to understand dogs as a species uniquely adapted to live alongside humans. Research has increased exponentially but struggles with representativeness and generalizability. Here we discuss key issues and identify solutions through big-team science innovation and collaboration and a global network. Sampled populations are usually from the Global North, where researchers and guardians can be characterized by WEIRD attributes and dogs may be shaped by STRANGE factors, severely limiting generalizability across locations and overall replicability. Big-team science provides an ideal avenue for overcoming some of these biases and including diverse perspectives and populations, fostering global collaboration.