A researcher presents children in the 1st, 5th, and 9th grades with moral dilemmas and uses a valid system to determine their level of moral development. The researcher collects all of his data during September of this year and examines differences in mean level of moral development across grade level. This researcher is using the ________ approach to developmental research.

Question

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The researcher is using a cross-sectional approach because they are collecting data from different age groups (1st, 5th, and 9th graders) at one point in time (September of this year). In a longitudinal approach, the same individuals would be followed over time, whereas in a cohort-sequential approach, different age groups would be followed over time but data would be collected at multiple points to account for cohort effects. The term "prospective" usually refers to following a specific group of individuals forward in time, rather than comparing different age groups at a single point in time.

A Researcher Presents Children in the 1st, 5th, and 9th