Please read the section of Chapter One  which covers Research Methods, pages 27 to 38.  The following assignment asks you to CONCENTRATE on the material in the section on  “Time Span of Research,” on pages 32-33.  This section describes an important issue in research design which is specific to the field of Lifespan Development.  Please, read this material very carefully before working on the following assignment. 

This assignment will be due by 11:59p on Sunday, April 11, 2021.  It should not be longer than 400 words.  This word limit is designed to help you explain clearly, by not using any unnecessary words.  However, please be sure that your explanations are complete.  Please be sure to include a WORD COUNT at the beginning of the assignment.

For this assignment on Research Design in Lifespan Development, you are being presented with two scenarios.  Each scenario describes the work of a researcher.  Please read the material in the book on this topic very carefully.  Be sure that you fully understand the research issues before addressing the assignment.

Dr. Case and Dr.Almond are both interested in the factors involved in people’s becoming obese, or seriously overweight.  Dr. Case suspects that obesity is more likely among older people, people over 70.  At one point in time, in the year 2016, he collects information about the eating and exercise habits of three groups of people. There are 25 people in each group.  Group one has people aged 25.  Group two has people aged 50.  Group three has people aged 75. He then compares the information obtained from these people,  looking for differences in obesity among the people in the three different age groups. He finds that the people in the oldest group have the most difficulties with obesity.

What research design has Dr. Case used?

Can Dr. Case interpret his results correctly by saying that as people get older, they are more likely to become obese?  (Be careful in your answer to explain the term “cohort effect” and explain its relevance to Dr. Case’s study.)

Dr. Almond is also interested in the factors involved in people’s becoming obese.  Dr. Almond also suspects that the risks of people becoming obese increase as they age.  He identifies 75 people, the same total number of people as Dr. Case, and begins to measure their weights and collect information about their eating and exercise habits every 25  years, beginning when they are aged 25 and going on to when they are ages 50 and 75.  Like Dr. Case, he finds that the people have the most difficulty with obesity when they are in the oldest age group.

What kind of research design has Dr. Almond used? 

Can Dr. Almond interpret his results correctly by saying that as people get older, they are more likely to become obese?  (Be careful in your answer to explain the drawbacks to this type of research design, and explain their relevance to Dr. Almond’s study).