Developmental psychology uses scientific research methods to study the changes that occur in human beings over the course of their lives.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

Assess the various scientific research methods for investigating human development

KEY POINTS

To study changes in individuals over time, developmental psychologists use systematic observation; self-reports,clinicalinterviews, or structured observation;case studies; andethnographyor participant observation.

Three common research methods are the experimental method (which investigates cause and effect), correlational method (which explores relationships between variables), and the case study approach (which provides in-depth information about a particular case).

Regardless of whether studies employ the experimental, correlational, or case study methodology, they can use research designs or logical frameworks to make key comparisons within research studies.

Common research designs includelongitudinal, cross-sectional, sequential, and microgenetic designs.

TERMS

cohort

A demographic grouping of people, especially those in a defined age group, or sharing a common characteristic.

Longitudinal

Sampling data over time rather than merely once.

ethnography

The branch of anthropology that scientifically describes specific human cultures and societies.

correlation

One of the several measures of the linear statistical relationship between two random variables, indicating the strength of the relationship but not necessarily the causation.