LONGITUDINAL APPROACH - PROBLEMS AND POSSIBILITIES IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES

• NCJ Number: 64376
• Author(s): C JANSON
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 67 pages
• Corporate Author: University of Stockholm
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: Sweden
• Note: PROJECT METROPOLITAN

Annotation

AN ILLUSTRATION OF LONGITUDINAL POSSIBILITIES, THIS REPORT BRIEFLY OUTLINES DEFINITIONS OF LONGITUDINAL STUDY AND EXAMINES METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES: AGE, RESTROSPECTIVE AND PROSPECTIVE DATA, AND FADING RELEVANCE.

Abstract

THE RESEARCH-TECHNICAL USAGE FOR THE TERM 'TECHNOLOGICAL' IS PREFERRED FOR THIS REPORT; THE DEFINITION IS DIAGRAMMED IN A TABLE. WITH THIS DEFINITION, THREE PROBLEMS OF LONGITUDINAL RESEARCH ARE CONSIDERED. FIRST, FORMAL RELATIONS BETWEEN AGE, PERIOD, AND COHORT (POPULATION) EFFECTS ARE DISCUSSED WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO BECKER'S DIAGRAM. SECOND, ATTEMPTS TO SHORTEN THE PERIOD OF DATA COLLECTION ARE DEALT WITH IN A DISCUSSION OF PROSPECTIVE AND RETROSPECTIVE APPROACHES AND DATA. THIRD, THE PROBLEM OF MAINTAINING THE THEORETICAL RELEVANCE OF PROTRACTED RESEARCH IS POSED. FINALLY, THE COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGES OF LONGITUDINAL STUDIES ARE RAISED IN CONTRAST TO THOSE OF CASE STUDIES, CROSS-CULTURAL STUDIES, EXPERIMENTS, PANELS, FOLLOWUP STUDIES, AND CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDIES. A TABLE SUMMARIZES THE APPROACHES, AND AN UNSPECIFIED MODEL IS OFFERED TO ILLUSTRATE THE POSSIBLITIES OF A LONGITUDINAL PROJECT. NOTES AND REFERENCES ARE SUPPLIED. (MHP)