Chapter 3: Research Methods

Question 1

Quasi-experimental design

Answer 1

researchers compare groups on predetermined conditions (e.g. age) but cannot conclude causation

Question 2

Descriptive (single-factor) designs

Answer 2

studies that catalogue information about how people perform based on their age but do not attempt to rule out social or historical factors (e.g. longitudinal and cross-sectional designs)

Question 3

Cohort

Answer 3

the year or period of a person’s birth

Question 4

Cohort effects

Answer 4

social, historical, and cultural influences that affect people during a particular period in time; normative history-graded influences present around the time of a person’s birth

Question 5

Time of measurement effects

Answer 5

social, historical, and cultural influences that are presently affecting participants in a study; also normative history-graded influences

Question 6

Longitudinal design

Answer 6

data is collected from the same people repeatedly over several decades

Question 7

Prospective study

Answer 7

kind of longitudinal design where researchers sample from a population of interest and compare data from before and after a particular type of illness or life event to examine risk/protective factors

Question 8

Limitation of longitudinal studies

Answer 8

unable to differentiate between aging within the individual and changes in the social and historical context

Question 9

Selective attrition

Answer 9

special case of non-random sampling when a study loses participants, causing the sample to be unrepresentative of the original one and the data to be skewed

Question 10

Terminal decline

Answer 10

individuals gradually lose cognitive abilities as they approach death

Question 11

Cross-sectional designs

Answer 11

researchers compare groups of people with different ages at one point in time; a snapshot in time

Question 12

Sequential designs

Answer 12

a sequence of studies (e.g. cross-sectional) that are carried out over years; can keep adding cohorts which can address atttrition

Question 13

Most efficient design

Answer 13

a set of 3 designs manipulating the variables of age, cohort, and time of measurement: time-sequential, cohort-sequential, and cross-sequential designs

Question 14

Time-sequential design

Answer 14

examines the effects of time of measurement in contrast to age

Question 15

Cohort-sequential design

Answer 15

cohorts are compared at different ages

Question 16

Cross-sequential design

Answer 16

cohorts are examined at different times of measurement

Question 17

Correlational design

Answer 17

relationships are observed among variables as they exist in the world with no attempt to divide participants into groups or to manipulate variables; age is treated as a continuous variable

Question 18

Types of studies

Answer 18

laboratory studies, qualitative studies, archival research, surveys, epidemiological studies, case reports, focus groups, daily diaries, observational methods, meta-analysis

Question 19

Laboratory studies

Answer 19

participants are tested in a systematic fashion using standardized procedures; most objective

Question 20

Archival research

Answer 20

researchers use existing resources that contain data relevant to a question about aging (e.g. newspapers)

Question 21

Epidemiology

Answer 21

study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events, and its application to the control of diseases and other health issues

Question 22

2 types of population estimates provided by epidemiological studies

Answer 22

prevalence and incidence statistics

Question 23

Prevalence statistics

Answer 23

provides estimates of the percentage of people who have ever had symptoms in a particular period

Question 24

Incidence statistics

Answer 24

provides estimates of the percentage of people who first develop symptoms in a given period

Question 25

Case reports

Answer 25

summarizes findings from multiple sources for an in-depth analysis of particular individuals

Question 26

Focus group

Answer 26

a meeting of a group of respondents oriented around a particular topic of interest; often a pilot study

Question 27

Daily diary method

Answer 27

participants provide data on a daily basis for researchers to examine day-to-day changes

Question 28

Observational method

Answer 28

careful and systematic examination of behavior in particular settings

Question 29

Meta-analysis

Answer 29

statistical procedure that allows researchers to combine findings from independently conducted studies on similar phenomena by calculating an effect size

Question 30

Pros of quasi-experiments

Answer 30

allows researchers to examine effect of a treatment that may not be ethical or logistically possible in an experiment

Question 31

Cons of quasi-experiments

Answer 31

have less internal validity than experiments (no random assignment) and unable to determine if aging causes changes

Question 32

(Bivariate) Correlation (r)

Answer 32

statistic that indexes the degree or strength of a relationship between 2 continuous variables

Question 33

Cons of correlation

Answer 33

cannot infer causation, only useful for linear relationships, unable to determine if there are cohort or time of measurement effects

Question 34

Age effects

Answer 34

any differences caused by underlying processes (like biological or psychological) that occur with aging