IDPSP Methods Info Treasure Hunt

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Research designs and methods in developmental psychology

Carrying out research with children can make some of the more ‘traditional’ methods in psychology difficult to use. This is particularly relevant for research with very young children. As such, developmental psychologists often use a range of different research designs and methods to investigate development (see table 1 & 2 below). To find examples of research that employs these designs and methods, start with Chapter 1: The scope and methods of developmental psychology (Slater and Bremner 2011 – core text).

Table 1: Research designs for studying age-related changes in development

Research Design Description Examples?

Cross-sectionalInvolve participants of different ages being studied at a single point in time

LongitudinalInvolve the same participants being studied over time at different points in their development.

Sequential(or age/cohort)

Involve a combination of longitudinal and cross-sectional designs to explore differences in the development of individuals from different age cohorts.

Micro-geneticInvolve the same participants being repeatedly studied over relatively short period of time. A method that enables change to be mapped as it occurs.

There are other designs. Have you come across any other research designs used to study child development?

Table 2: Developmental Psychology Research Methods

Research Method Description ExampleObservational methods

- Experimental- Naturalistic

Behaviour is observed and recorded. Observations can be in laboratory (experimental) or natural (naturalistic) settings.

Biographical Diaries often kept by primary caregiver documenting child development. These are sometimes referred to as an observational method.

Experimental Used to establish cause and effect in child development. Use of control groups.

Psychological testing Standardised tests to measure psychological functioning.

Correlational- Concurrent- Predictive

Looks at the relationship between two variables.Concurrent – interested in the relationship between two variables at the same time.Predictive – can one variable predict another variable

Neurodevelopmental Used for understanding Brain-behaviour links. Brain development studies often make use of technology such as fMRI and PET

There are other methods. Have you come across any other research methods applied to study child development?