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Evaluating Cross-Sectional Studies

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Human development research seeks to understand age-related differences. Cross-sectional studies assess a number of people at one point in time, which allows us to compare age characteristics or particular age groups. This allows us to compare characteristics of particular age groups. When evaluating cross-sectional studies, one must look out for cohort effects, differences not attributable to age but to the particular time period in which the individual lived. This confounding effect obscures any relationship between age and experiences that might contribute to an understanding of development. Longitudinal studies, in contrast, are far more reliable and can be used to support definitive studies. “Longitudinal studies assess the same participants

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