Human Growth and Development

3.​ Conduct Research

●​ Recruit 20 students and divide them into two groups. ●​ One group studies in a quiet room for 1 hour, while the other studies in a noisy room for 1 hour. ●​ Give both groups the same test immediately after studying. 4.​ Analyze Data & Draw Conclusions ●​ Data: Calculate the average test scores for each group. >​ Quiet Room: 85% average. >​ Noisy Room: 70% average. ●​ Conclusion: The data supports the hypothesis that studying in a quiet room improves test performance. 5.​ Publish Findings: ●​ Write a report titled "The Impact of Study Environment on Test Performance." ●​ Share results at an educational psychology conference or publish in a student research journal. Research Designs Developmental psychologists use various research designs to study how people grow and change across time. Here are three common designs:

Study Design

Limitations

Example

Cross-Sectional Study: ​ Collects data from people of different ages at a single point in time. This design is like a snapshot of behaviors or traits across age groups.

Can’t track changes over time. Cohort effects (differences due to the time period people were born in, not their age) might influence results. Time-consuming and expensive. Participant dropout (attrition) can affect results—some people might not stick with the study until the end.

Comparing social media habits of 10-, 15-, and 20-year-olds in the same year.

Longitudinal Study: ​ Follows the same group of

Tracking a group of children from age 10 to age 20 to study how their sleep habits influence academic performance over time. Studying 10-, 15-, and 20-year-olds at one time and then reassessing these same groups every 5 years for two decades.

participants over a long period to observe changes or developments over time.

Cross Sequential Study: ​ Combines cross-sectional and longitudinal methods to study both age-related changes and generational (cohort) effects.

Very complex and costly to conduct.

© 2025 ACHIEVE ULTIMATE CREDIT-BY-EXAM GUIDE | HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT