research methods

Question 1

what is a longitudinal study?

Answer 1

a research method that looks at the same group of participants but over a certain period of time.

Question 2

why might clinical psychologists use a longitudinal study?

Answer 2

in order to see whether the severity of an individuals symptoms have changed over time, and see how an individual with a disorder progresses after being exposed to treatments.

Question 3

what is an example of a longitudinal study in clinical psychology?

Answer 3

Hankin, looked at gender differences in how depression emerges in young people from pre-adolescence to young adulthood, over a 10 year period and conducting 5 structured interviews during that time.

Question 4

what are some strengths of a longitudinal study?

Answer 4

1. rules out the chance of individual differences as you are studying the same people over time
2. this also enables u to make more accurate and valid assumptions and establish cause and effect due to the only changing factor is the age.

Question 5

what are some weaknesses of longitudinal studies?

Answer 5

1. they take a long time and an require more researchers and more investment into the research.
2. due to this length of time, by the time all the research has been gathered it may be less valid due to it being out dated.
3. there are some ethical issues with these studies as they can be fairly intrusive - especially when working with someone who has mental health problems, they may feel obliged to continue until the end.

Question 6

what is a cross-sectional study?

Answer 6

this is a research method which takes a “snapshot” of population and area. - it consists of a large sample containing a variety of people from the target population.

Question 7

how could a cross-sectional study be used in clinical psychology?

Answer 7

it allows researchers to take see the implications of different factors.

Question 8

what is an example of a cross-sectional study in clinical psychology?

Answer 8

Wijesundera et al (2014) - looked to find a relationship between tobacco and anti-psychotic medication. they took a cross-section of males and femaalr