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  3. For gathering data about individuals or groups at different developmental levels, researchers can use two. related research desi

For gathering data about individuals or groups at different developmental levels, researchers can use two. related research desi

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问题     For gathering data about individuals or groups at different developmental levels, researchers can use two. related research designs; longitudinal and cross-sectional.
    A longitudinal study is one that measures a behavior or a characteristic of an individual over a period of time, perhaps decades. An example of such a study is the Berkeley Growth Study begun in 1928 by Nancy Bayley. The study focused on a group of 74 white, middle-class newborns. As they grew older, extensive measures of their intellectual, personality, and motor development were recorded. The subjects were studied for more than thirty years.
    The longitudinal research design is a powerful technique for seeking understandings of the effects of early experiences on later development. Also, differences in or stability of behaviors or characteristics at different ages can be determined. Longitudinal studies, however, are expensive to conduct, time-consuming, and heavily contingent on the patience and persistence of the researchers. The findings of a longitudinal study may be jeopardized by relocation of subjects to another part of the country and by boredom or irritation at repeated testing. Another disadvantage is that society changes from one time to another and the subjects participating in the study reflect to some degree such changes. The methods of study or the questions guiding the researchers may also change from one time to another. If properly conducted, however, longitudinal studies can produce useful, direct information about development.
    A cross-sectional study is one in which subjects of differing ages are selected and compared on a specific behavior or characteristic. They are alike with respect to socioeconomic status, sex, or educational level. For example, a researcher may be interested in looking at changes in intelligence over a thirty-year period. Three groups of subjects, ages ten, twenty, and thirty, may be selected and tested. Conclusions are drawn from the test data.
    The cross-sectional research design has the clear advantage of being less expensive to conduct and certainly less time-consuming. The major disadvantage is that different individuals who make up the study sample have not been observed over time. No information about past influences on development or about age-related changes is secured. Like longitudinal studies, the cross-sectional methods cannot erase the generational influence that exists when subjects studied are born at different time. Psychologists are now beginning to use an approach that combines longitudinal and cross-sectional research methods.
One of the differences between cross-sectional research and longitudinal research is that______.
选项 A、the latter usually focuses on only one subject, while the former involves groups of subjects
B、the former can be free from the influence of social changes
C、the latter can be free from the influence of social changes
D、the former costs less money and takes less time
答案D
解析 细节题。解题点在第五段。第五段开头就提到The cross-sectional research design has the clear advantage of being less expensive to conduct and certainly less time-consuming，与D选项的意思一致，所以答案是D选项。
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