cross-sectional design
research design that examines people of different ages at a single point in time1950 study with ages 60, 20, and 45
A cross-sectional design is a research method that analyzes a group or sample of people at a specific point in time to study a particular phenomenon or topic. With this design, investigators collect data from a representative sample to understand the prevalence of variables of interest.
The primary advantage of cross-sectional design is that it allows us to collect data from a large number of individuals in a relatively short amount of time. The design is an effective way of studying complex relationships between different variables, and the results can provide insight into the current state of affairs regarding the topic of interest.
However, a significant limitation of cross-sectional design is that it cannot establish causality. The design provides data for a single point of time, so researchers cannot track changes over time and detect a cause-and-effect relationship between variables. Additionally, cross-sectional design may be subject to selection bias, meaning that the sample may not be representative of the entire population of interest.
Despite these limitations, cross-sectional design can be a valuable research tool in many fields and is commonly used in epidemiological, psychological, and sociological research.
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