Study Designs

Question 1

Cross Sectional Design

Answer 1

groups of participants of different chronological ages are observed and compared at a given time

Question 2

Advantages of Cross-Sectional

Answer 2

○ Take less time to complete
○ Less costly
○ Not subject to practice effects

Question 3

Disadvantages of Cross-Sectional

Answer 3

○ Cannot tell if an early event has an impact on a later event

○ Cohort effects (especially comparing two cohorts with a big age difference)

Question 4

Longitudinal Design

Answer 4

tracking the same individual over time

Question 5

Advantages of Longitudinal Design

Answer 5

○ Researchers can identify individual differences

○ Researches can examine relationships between early and later events and behaviors

○ Can test direction of causation

Question 6

Disadvantages of Longitudinal Design

Answer 6

○ Time consuming + costing
○ Data are easily lost (high drop-out rate)
○ Data might be contaminated by:
- Biased sampling
- Practice effects
- Cohort effects

○ Results based on one cohort may not apply to another cohort

○ Cohort effects are effects of cultural-historical change on the accuracy of findings