Research studies the same groups of participants over time

#Research studies the same groups of participants over time how to#

People are subjective, so different observersвЂ™ perceptions of situations and phenomena naturally differ.

#Research studies the same groups of participants over time how to#

In an observational study where a team of researchers collect data on classroom behavior, interrater reliability is important: all the researchers should agree on how to categorize or rate different types of behavior. You use it when data is collected by researchers assigning ratings, scores or categories to one or more variables. Interrater reliability (also called interobserver reliability) measures the degree of agreement between different people observing or assessing the same thing. Remember that changes can be expected to occur in the participants over time, and take these into account.When planning your methods of data collection, try to minimize the influence of external factors, and make sure all samples are tested under the same conditions.When designing tests or questionnaires, try to formulate questions, statements and tasks in a way that wonвЂ™t be influenced byВ the mood or concentration of participants.You devise a questionnaire to measure the IQ of a group of participants (a property that is unlikely to change significantly over time).You administer the test two months apart to the same group of people, but the results are significantly different, so the test-retest reliability of the IQ questionnaire is low. US English | Difference, Spelling & Examples YouВ see howВ people change physically, emotionally,В and socially through time.) What would be the drawbacks of being in a longitudinal study? What about 49 Up? Would youВ want to be filmed every 7 years? What would be the advantages and disadvantages? CanВ you imagine why some would continue and others drop out ofВ the project?Д¬ross-sequentialВ research involves combining aspects of the previous two techniques beginning with a cross-sectional sample and measuring them through time.В This is the perfect model for looking at age, gender, social class, and ethnicity.В But here the drawbacks of high costs and attrition are here as well. LongitudinalВ research involves beginning with a group of people who may be of the same age and background, and measuring them repeatedly over a long period of time.В One of the benefits of this type of research is that people can be followed through time and be compared with them when they were younger.В A problem with this type of research is that it is very expensive and subjects may drop out over time.В (The film 49 Up is a example of following individuals over time. Different attitudes about the Internet, for example, might not be altered by a personвЂ™s biological age as much as their life experiences as members of a cohort. This method is much less expensive than longitudinal research but does not allow the researcher to distinguish between the impact of age and the cohort effect.

In cross-sectional research, respondents are measured only once. The attitudes of males and females could then be compared as could attitudes based on age. Respondents who vary in age, gender, ethnicity, and social class might be asked to complete a survey about television program preferences or attitudes toward the use of the Internet.

However, combining results of multiple studies and using more complex designs, such as cross-sequential designs, can help us get closer to the truth.Д¬ross-sectional research involves beginning with a sample that represents a cross-section of the population. Therefore no single study can definitively tell you about how human beings develop. The two that you choose will determine the third element. The frustrating thing about doing this kind of research is that you only can vary two of these three elements at a time. Chronological age, cohort membership, and time of measurement are the basic elements of research designs looking at development. These designs examine what changes and what stays the same in a human life.