Vanessa Clemens

Understanding human behavior across cultural contexts is central to building social science theories that can address global challenges. In this talk, I summarize key insights from a decade of research using cross-societal online behavioral economic games (CoBEx), an innovative methodology that enables large-scale, culturally diverse investigations of social behavior. Drawing on experiences from conducting CoBEx studies across multiple societies, I highlight what this approach has revealed about both cross-cultural similarities and systematic differences in the mechanisms underlying prosocial and anti-social behaviors. Beyond theoretical insights, the talk focuses on practical lessons learned in implementing CoBEx research, including study design choices, the development of culturally appropriate materials, ethical and funding considerations, and challenges related to data quality, analysis, and interpretation. I also discuss best practices for transparency, dissemination, and collaboration in cross-societal research. Overall, this talk aims to demonstrate how CoBEx can strengthen the ecological and cultural validity of psychological and behavioral science, while offering concrete guidance for researchers interested in adopting this methodology. By combining theoretical contributions with methodological rigor, CoBEx provides a powerful framework for advancing a more globally inclusive science of human behavior.