Cross-Sectional

Question 1

AO1/Description

Answer 1

• A Cross-Sectional study is one where data is collected at one moment in time/over a short period of time.
• Like longitudinal studies they often look at development of something but do this in a different manner.
• Instead of studying a person over a period of time they would study two separate groups at the same time i.e. looking at teenagers with Schizophrenia and adults with Schizophrenia to see how age effects the illness

Question 2

Strengths

Answer 2

• Cheaper and easier to conduct than longitudinal since it takes less time
• Participants more easy to gather as we don’t have to follow them for years
• More ethical than Longitudinal (often at least) since things like withdrawal and consent are easier to get for short term studies rather than longitudinal ones

Question 3

Weaknesses

Answer 3

• Less depth and detail than longitudinal as they’re a short period of time
• Individual differences between people (not present in longitudinal as always the same person)- so less cause and effect and less direct representation of what is being studied
• Issues with cohort effect (there are similarities in the environment of people of the same age which aren’t related to their actual age…so similar upbringing/events are extraneous variables which might impact on the results)