If a society placed any emphasis on childhood, it was usually in reference to education. A definition which is in terms of the operations used to measure a phenomenon. The correlation between the data gathered by two or more observers of the same event. Using Age as a VariableThe Cross-Sectional Approach Investigators examine subjects of different ages simultaneously to study the relationships among age, experience, and behavior. Using Age as a VariableThe Longitudinal Approach Examines subjects across time.
Social conditions change.
Value of findings may change. Expensive and time consuming. Time-Lag Design Sequential Design Building a Theory A system of rules or assumptions used to predict or explain phenomena. A statement that organizes and accounts for all pertinent data, that generalizes as much as possible to include a larger population, that makes clear predictions about future findings, that relies upon the least possible number of assumptions, and that promotes further investigation. The current hope is to develop a high degree of precision within a limited scope and then to examine the effects of adding new variables to slowly broaden the scope.