Video Representing Topics on Longitudinal vs Cross-Sectional Research and Content Analysis
LONGITUDINAL RESEARCH VS CROSS SECTIONAL RESEARCH
Longitudinal Research
Related Videos :
http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/longitudinal-designs-definition-examples.html#lesson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZudqtePZos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TcmTL5LNZE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ioayy73PvsE
Longitudinal study is a correlational and observational study in research field. In a longitudinal study, researchers conduct several observations of the same subjects over a period of time, sometimes lasting many years. The benefit of a longitudinal study is that researchers are able to detect developments or changes in the characteristics of the target population at both the group and the individual level. Longitudinal studies extend beyond a single moment in time. Frequently, researchers meet with the subjects many times on a regular basis, for example every two months or every five years. The length of time is dependent on the topic of the research, the length of the study, and the age of the subjects. The identifying feature of longitudinal research is studying one group of individuals over time.
A cohort study is a subset of the longitudinal study because it observes the effect on a specific group of people over time. Quite often, a longitudinal study is an extended case study, observing individuals over long periods, and is a purely qualitative undertaking.
Types of Longitudinal Research
There are three major types of longitudinal studies:
1) Panel Study: Involves sampling a cross-section of individuals.
2) Cohort Study: Involves selecting a group based on a specific event such as birth, geographic location or historical experience.
3) Retrospective Study: Involves looking to the past by looking at historical information such as medical records.
Advantage of Longitudinal Research
1)The primary benefit of longitudinal research is its ability to give researchers a look at changes in variables over times.Other types of studies cannot do this to any sort of comparable extent.
2) Longitudinal studies are often employed in studies that focus on development related topics.
3) Longitudinal studies are also used in studies that focus on issues pertaining to human lifespans.
4) It can show age related change or continuity avoids confounding age with cohort effects
5) Longitudinal studies are very interesting and can reveal fascinating trends among samples.
6) High in validity - people usually do not remember past events and if they were asked about their past, they would not remember.
7) Picking up long-term changes.
Disadvantage of Longitudinal Research
1) Its time consuming and expensive.
2) It presents problem of attrition.bias in sample and effects of repeated testing.
3) Results may be valid only for cohort tested or sample studied.
4) Longitudinal studies are typically restricted to a small group of subjects; this makes it hard to generate results that can be generalized to the overall population.
5) The possibility that subjects could remove themselves from the study at some point. This makes the sample size even smaller and somewhat defeats the purpose of randomization (ensuring that the sample represents a random selection of members of the larger population).
6)Problem of missing data.
Cross Sectional Research
Related Videos :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TcmTL5LNZE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuhZSfYcygY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4VOtjO9rvs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSIX_8bPIk4
http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/cross-sectional-designs-definition-examples.html#lesson
Cross-sectional designs are sampled groups taken and examined from a continuum to determine if there is a difference between different sections of the continuum. This is unfortunately a little vague because different continuums can be used. Cross-sectional designs are used to examine how people change over time by using representatives from different age categories.
One of the advantages offered by a cross-sectional design is that researchers don't have to worry about losing entire sample group as time passes or what might happen over the years because the entire experiment is completed in one test run. The defining feature of a cross-sectional study is that it can compare different population groups at a single point in time. Think of it in terms of taking a snapshot. Findings are drawn from whatever fits into the frame.The benefit of a cross-sectional study design is that it allows researchers to compare many different variables at the same time.
Advantage of Cross Sectional Research
1) Cross Sectional Research are quick and cheap
2) There is no follow up, less resource are required to run the study and quicker than other designs.
3) Cross sectional studies are the best way to determine prevalence and are useful at identifying associations that can then be more rigorously studied using a cohort study or randomised controlled study.
4) Ethically safe.
5) Quick data collection.
6) Attrition is not an issue and it holds time constant.
Disadvantage of Cross Sectional Research
1) Study is differentiating cause and effect from simple association.
2) There are a number of plausible explanations.
3) Recall bias susceptibility.
4) Rare conditions cannot efficiently be studied.
5) Con founders may be unequally distributed between groups
6) Does not economize on subjects
7) Differences may be due to age/time effects or cohort effects
8) Inter-subject variability exists, making it harder to detect a difference










