Developmental Psychology

will find out that they are being observed. With this occurring, there is the possibility of experimental bias. There are also two control groups that occur with experiments. These are called experimental and control group . Control groups are known for receiving placebos or fake treatments. • Survey : This method is where the researchers ask participants for information about themselves, a specific topic and their opinions about a certain topic. Usually researchers will conduct interviews or provide questionnaires, but other methods are including in person interviews, on the phone, though the mail, and even over the internet. Just like other methods, there are some limitations to research using surveys. One issue that some may face is that individuals may not be honest or truthful when they are answering questions. Individuals may also change their answers based on predetermined notions of what they think they should say. • Interviews : Interviews are another method that are used for research. These are usually conducted face-to-face or over the phone, even though Skype on a computer. Some limitations to this method are that some individuals will not want to answer questions about sex, drugs or other dishonest or illegal behaviors. • Case Studies : Case studies are considered in-depth studies about a certain topic. What researchers can do with case studies is gather information such as life histories, attitudes, behaviors, thoughts, emotions, etc. This can be a very expensive way to conduct research, Other limitations include participants dropping out, they pass away, or they forget about the study that they were supposed to participate in. 2.3 Research Designs Now we are going to discuss 3 different research designs. They are the longitudinal study, cross- sectional study and the cross sequential study. • Longitudinal Study : This involves the study of the same group of people over an extended period. Researchers that use this design to compare a group of people from one age to a different age. Changes over the period of time are studied as well. Long term studies are very expensive to conduct. Some participants may move away or choose not to participate in the study; or leave the study. • Cross-Sectional Study : This type of study compares individuals at various ages. The groups of individuals in the study have varying ages but have similarities in other areas. This research is conducted at a single point in time and is like a snapshot of the population. Some of the issues using this study method is that there could be a difference in population that may not be due to the age, and the variables are difficult to control. • Cross-Sequential : This study combines longitudinal and cross-sectional studies. The study begins with a cross-sectional design and will then look at the same group over a specific time period. Limitations include it being very complex as well as expensive to conduct. This type of design also requires a long-term commitment.

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