Cross-Sectional vs. Longitudinal Research

YOU MUST COMPLETE ALL TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR CREDIT

Directions (Activity 1): Which research design (cross sectional or longitudinal) is depicted in each of the following examples and explain Why?

1. a study of changes in intelligence over adulthood that examines intellectual abilities in the same 1,500 individuals each decade from ages 50 to 80 years

• an examination of childhood changes in social development that representatively samples and then compares 18,000 participants assigned to groups of 4-, 8-, and 12-year-olds

• an investigation of changes in physical development in infancy by comparing the progression of fine and gross motor skills in 22,000 infants of different ages, ranging from 2 months through 22 months

• a study of changes every 20 years in political attitudes (liberal vs. conservative) over a 40-year span in 3,000 adults between the ages of 25 and 65 years

Directions (Activity 2): Compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of each of these time-sensitive, developmentally oriented research designs