Problems And Methods In Longitudinal Research

An analysis of data treatment methodology for longitudinal research studies.

This volume is the product of a course on longitudinal prospective re search arranged by the three editors in Arhus, Denmark, in 1978. The course was supported by the Nordisk Kulturfond for young researchers from the Nordic countries, who had planned or had simply involved themselves in longitudinal prospective research projects of various kinds. The twenty-six participants represented a wide range of professions: statisticians, psychologists, psychiatrists, nutritionists, and public health researchers. The teachers came from many countries and represented many disciplines. The course was very successful, especially from the point of view of the quality and investment of the teachers. We felt also that the course met a strong need in this relatively new field of research. Therefore, we asked the teachers to prepare written versions of their lectures so that they could have wider dissemination; they agreed to do so. The present book is composed of these contributions. The first chap ter, after outlining some of the problems with traditional strategies in mental health research, goes on to suggest some of the possible preven tive applications of longitudinal research methods. Included in Parts II and III are papers on design problems and on the tools of long-term research, such as genetics and classification, biological measurements, epidemiological guidelines, statistical models, disease registers, and de velopmental psychology.

Longitudinal research (or observing the same subject across time) in human development requires more careful planning than do cross-sectional studies and is demanding theoretically and organizationally. This volume focuses on methods of data treatment in longitudinal research emphasizing the importance of careful matching of methodology to the substantive problem under consideration. It deals particularly with concepts of stability and change that are central to personality and developmental research. Contributors to this volume explore the methodology and scope of life span studies in a variety of contexts, including intellectual and cognitive development, transitions such as that from childhood to early adult life, social mobility, behavioral genetics, and psychological disorder, particularly depression. It is a valuable reference for a wide range of researchers in developmental psychology, social and behavioral science, psychiatry, epidemiology, and statistics.

One of the major changes in the social science research landscape in recent years has been the introduction of computerised panel surveys in Europe and the US which make longitudinal data widely available to graduate students for the first time. Elisabetta Ruspini here provides a concise yet comprehensive introduction to the issues involved in this kind of research. This book: * Defines the concept of longitudinal research * Gives guidance on sources of longitudinal data in Europe and the US and their strengths and weaknesses * Discusses the choices that need to be made in this kind of research - for instance the advantages and disadvantages of certain types of research data and of different types of analysis * Highlights some of the problems involved, e.g. the issue of comparability within longitudinal research

This overview of the central issues of data quality in longitudinal research focuses on data relevant for studying individual development. The topics covered include reliability, validity, sampling, aggregation, and the correspondence between theory and method. More specific, practical issues in longitudinal research, such as the drop-out problem and issues of confidentiality are also addressed. The volume is the result of an interdisciplinary endeavor by leading European scientists to discuss appropriate ways of handling various types of longitudinal data, including psychiatric data, alcohol data, and criminal data.

This Handbook is a very timely contribution to organization and business studies. Most calls for longitudinal research are made in sections of published work that deal with limitations of the study or suggestions for further research. This book places longitudinal research methods at center stage. With its practical, hands-on approach it guides us how to design a longitudinal study in and around organizations whether qualitative or quantitative and how to implement it. I warmly recommend this Handbook to ambitious senior and junior researchers. It makes the commonly presented excuses for not undertaking longitudinal research completely redundant. Rebecca Piekkari, Aalto University, School of Business in Helsinki, Finland This is a very timely book that fills an important gap in the field of research methods. So far very little attention has been paid to longitudinal research methods, while the usefulness of this type of research has often been discussed in many papers and conferences. Insights provided by scholars who have been doing this type of research provide useful guidelines for anyone interested in research methods from senior scholars to young researchers and PhD candidates. This volume will serve as an excellent complement to the existing range of books on research methods. Pervez Ghauri, Kings College London, UK This innovative Handbook demonstrates that there is no single best approach to conducting longitudinal studies. At their best, longitudinal research designs yield rich, contextualised, multilevel and deep understanding of the studied phenomenon. The lack of resources in terms of time, funding and people can pose a serious challenge to conducting longitudinal research. This book tackles many of these challenges and discusses the role of longitudinal research programmes in overcoming such obstacles. This book shows how longitudinal research methods enable the understanding of dynamics, mechanisms, causalities and interrelationships of organizational and business concepts in context and in relation to time. It discusses the richness and versatility of longitudinal research and offers, to students and experienced scholars alike, numerous viewpoints, reflections and personal accounts about conducting longitudinal research, from planning and fieldwork to reporting and managing of research projects.

These edited volumes present new statistical methods in a way that bridges the gap between theoretical and applied statistics. The volumes cover general problems and issues and more specific topics concerning the structuring of change, the analysis of time series, and the analysis of categorical longitudinal data. The book targets students of development and change in a variety of fields - psychology, sociology, anthropology, education, medicine, psychiatry, economics, behavioural sciences, developmental psychology, ecology, plant physiology, and biometry - with basic training in statistics and computing.

These edited volumes present new statistical methods in a way that bridges the gap between theoretical and applied statistics. The volumes cover general problems and issues and more specific topics concerning the structuring of change, the analysis of time series, and the analysis of categorical longitudinal data. The book targets students of development and change in a variety of fields - psychology, sociology, anthropology, education, medicine, psychiatry, economics, behavioural sciences, developmental psychology, ecology, plant physiology, and biometry - with basic training in statistics and computing.