ABSTRACT
Globalization has become an integral part of modern societal development and has also impacted the development of scientific thinking. Early in the history of developmental psychology, Western European psychology was dominant, and, after World War II, American psychology assumed a leading role. Cross-cultural studies are important for understanding the relationship between nature and nurture in development. In India, the British colonial powers had a considerable impact. Many of the studies involved children from upper-middle-class urban families, and generalization to other social classes is uncertain. While globalization and English as the lingua franca of academia contribute to more equality in the development of theories across national borders, they also highlight the differences between countries and contribute to the establishment of unique cultural scientific identities. In the age of globalization, developmental perspectives with an origin in African, Asian and other cultures will emerge and find their position in international developmental psychology, both locally and globally.
