Which statement best describes an etic approach in cross-cultural psychology?

• A. It studies behavior from within a culture's own framework.
• B. It uses local terms and concepts to interpret behavior.
• C. It focuses on historical or contextual factors within a single culture.
• D. It applies external concepts to compare cultures.

Answer: (D)

Etic approaches involve using external concepts and measurement tools developed outside a culture to compare behavior across different cultures. This allows researchers to apply the same framework and look for universal patterns, which is exactly what is meant by applying external concepts to compare cultures.

In contrast, describing behavior from within a culture’s own framework or interpreting behavior with local terms relies on insider perspectives and cultural meanings, which aligns with the emic approach. Concentrating on historical or contextual factors within a single culture focuses on that culture in isolation, not on cross-cultural comparison.