A researcher finds that after completing all three analyses in the Most Efficient Design, the 50-year-olds differ from the 60-year-olds in two of the three analyses. To conclude that age was a factor in producing these results, which design would need to show no significant effects?

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In a cross-sequential design, participants are assigned to one of several age groups and are followed longitudinally, allowing the researcher to measure both age-related changes and cohort effects. If age was truly a factor in producing the results, then the differences observed between the 50-year-olds and the 60-year-olds should still hold true regardless of the specific cohort being studied. Therefore, a design that shows no significant effects across multiple cohorts would provide stronger evidence for the role of age in producing the observed outcomes. The other designs (time-sequential, cohort-sequential, and age-sequential) are all more focused on specific time periods or cohorts and may not be as effective at ruling out alternative explanations for the observed differences.

A Researcher Finds That After Completing All Three Analyses in the Most