An audience of 20-year-olds finds a series of off-colour jokes highly amusing.A group of 50-year-olds finds the same jokes highly offensive.It is concluded that,as people age,their senses of humour become more rigid and narrow.The major difficulty in drawing conclusions of this sort is that _______.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Cross-sectional studies, which compare different age groups at the same point in time, cannot distinguish between age differences and generational differences. The difference in sense of humor between the 20-year-olds and 50-year-olds may be due to generational differences rather than simply age-related changes. Longitudinal studies, which track individuals over time, may be better suited to isolate age-related changes in humor preferences. Neither A nor C or D addresses the issue of generational differences.

An Audience of 20-Year-Olds Finds a Series of Off-Colour Jokes