Cross-cultural use of the semantic differential

Osgood's semantic differential is a way to discover where any word is located in a conceptual space whose dimensions are meanings rather than real-world distances. It seems likely that the space of meanings would differ from culture to culture just as it probably does somewhat from individual to individual. Here is an example of interdisciplinary research—the use of a proven psychological measuring instrument such as the semantic differential with data that have traditionally been the concern of anthropology. In addition to expanding the range of research techniques for another discipline, such cross-cultural studies are of value for a fuller understanding of the limits within which the instrument is effective; they refine and improve research methods.