cross-sectional research

Question 1

what type of studies are cross-sectional research

Answer 1

observations

• so no manipulation of variables

Question 2

what are cross-sectional studies

Answer 2

they analyse the population at a single point in time

Question 3

Mynard & Joseph (1997) - example of cross-sectional research

Answer 3

investigated whether peer vitimisation is positively related to psychosocial maladjustment

compared maladjustment between bullies and victims

Question 4

strengths of cross sectional research

Answer 4

conducted at the same point in time - quick and inexpensive

multiple outcomes and exposures can be studied

easy for generating hypotheses

Question 5

weaknesses of cross-sectional research

Answer 5

unable to investigate the temporal relation between outcomes and risk factors

susceptible to biases such as non response bias and recall bias

associations identified may be difficult to interpret

Question 6

cohort effects

Answer 6

factors relating to this group which might make them special in some way and thus not entirely comparable to another similar group