Abstract
Our inclusion criteria for study participants are typically strongly biased by geographic and cultural locality. This is understandably dictated by convenience and logistics, but the upshot is that we end up studying those who are most like us. In holding up our studies as general contributions to the study of cognition, the unstated assumption is that we are adequately representative of the human species at large. In succumbing to this hubris, we not only run the risk of gathering data that do not, in fact, capture a general view of human cognition, but also may miss out on novel opportunities that exist beyond our local catchment areas.
I shall present an initiative from my lab, Project Prakash, that illustrates some of the benefits that can accrue by going beyond the constraint of parochiality. The project has proactively enlisted participation from marginalized populations in the Global South and, in doing so, has been able to pursue scientific avenues that would not otherwise have been accessible. I shall also discuss the challenges inherent in operationalizing efforts of this kind, potential approaches to overcome them, and ethical considerations that must necessarily be addressed. The overall takeaway is that although moving beyond parochial participant pools can be difficult, the potential benefits of doing so make it worth the effort.