Cross-sectional research is a type of research method often used in developmental psychology, but also utilized in many other areas including social science, education and other branches of science. This type of study utilizes different groups of people who differ in the variable of interest, but share other characteristics such as socioeconomic status, educational background and ethnicity.
For example, researchers studying developmental psychology may select groups of people who are remarkably similar in most area, but differ only in age. By doing this, any differences between groups can presumably be attributed to age differences rather than to other variables.
While the design sounds relatively simple, finding participants who are very similar except in one specific variable can be very difficult. Additionally, groups can be affected by cohort differences that arise from the particular experiences of a unique group of people. Individuals born in the same time period may share important historical experiences, while people born in a specific geographic region may share experiences limited solely to their physical location.
Cross-sectional research differs from a longitudinal research in that cross-sectional studies are designed to look at a variable at a particular point in time. While longitudinal studies involve taking multiple measures over an extended period of time, cross-sectional research is focused on finding relationships between variables at a specific point in time.
References:
Gratton, C., & Jones, I. (2004). Research methods for sports studies. London: Routledge.
Trochim, W.M.K. (2006). Time in research. Research Methods Knowledge Base. Web Center for Social Research Methods. Found online at http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/timedim.php
