ResearchMethods/ResearchhDesign/Longitudinal

What if you want to study how things develop over time? In that case, you have two options. You can go with a longitudinal design, or a cross-sectional design. Let's check them out.

Media: Researching development over time

This video describes the two approaches for studying development over time.

Researching development over time

Key points:

Cross-sectional vs. Longitudinal
	Cross-sectional ("between subject")	Longitudinal ("within subject")
Advantages	Quick Access to more participants Lower costs	Greater confidence in results Greater detail
Disadvantages	Potential period bias	Costly Time consuming Limited access to participants

Reflective Activities: find your own examples

• Find an academic journal article that covers a topic in your chosen field (or a topic of your research interest) that utilises a ‘Cross-sectional’ and/or ‘Longitudinal’ approach. How was this approach effective in the author’s investigation?
• How do the designs affect your confidence in the authors' results and conclusions? Post your thoughts in the discussion forum.