How are cross-sectional studies different from longitudinal studies? Use an example to illustrate the advantages and disadvantages between the two types of studies.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Ans: Cross-sectional studies: Advantages: (a) Cost: inexpensive, (b) Time: takes a relatively short time to collect data, (c) Spread: collects information about many variables, (d) Relationships: allows for investigating new relationships between variables. Disadvantages: (a) Lack of causality: because data are collected at one time, there is no possibility to prove cause-effect relationships; (b) No turning back: if there is a mistake in data collection, there is no way to fix it because there is no follow-up of any kind; (c) Vulnerable to disturbing variables: sometimes extraneous and unpredictable variables can create a bias in your results and you may not even be aware. Longitudinal studies are known for their accuracy and are quite desirable for various topics. They collect data at different points in time, which helps our data to be much more accurate and avoids or minimizes errors, such as inaccurate responses. The major disadvantages of longitudinal studies are: They require quite a bit of time to collect the data depending on the study, this could take years. Because of the length of time, these types of studies are more costly. There are more people involved in gathering, cleaning, analyzing, and interpreting the data. Depending on the nature of the study, it may also entail various uses of technology, incentives for
participants, and other costs. Examples will vary.