Use a Longitudinal study method to analyze the effects of nutrition - Research Paper Example

Longitudinal study research method In contemporary research, the effects of study designs on large population is imperious in enabling reflection of validity of the research. Studying a large group of subjects would be imperative in evaluation of potential effects of nutrition for instance, over a diverse population. It is indispensable to comprehend that longitudinal research provides researchers with a plausible method of conducting studies based on the aforementioned conditions. It is beneficial for research on effects of nutrition on diverse population to adopt longitudinal study method due to its inherent strengths in observing psychological effects and incorporation of large cohorts.

The paper discusses strengths and weaknesses of longitudinal research and gives rationale for using it in studying effects of nutrition. Longitudinal research Longitudinal studies relates to repeated observational research over a longer period with the aim of establishing developmental trends across subjects lifespan. It entails situations where measurement of sample of individuals occur more than one time-point within the period of study. The study recruits larger number subjects and tracks them for longer periods sometimes for decades.

Studying same subjects over a longer period enables researchers to eliminate explicitly influence of cultural differences on the study results. Longitudinal study method is imperative in enabling researchers to monitor changes within study subjects’ overtime, a property that enables development and lifespan studies. However, longitudinal research method presents various challenges including the enormous amount of time consumable for comprehensive research, expensiveness, and withdrawal behavior of subjects.

Strengths of Longitudinal research It is indispensable to understand that there exists several potential strengths of longitudinal research. First, longitudinal study enables researchers to measure change within subjects to enable them identify various precursors of developmental psychology (Anstey and Hofer 3). In addition, ability to measure change within overtime would also enable researchers to evaluate treatment outcomes employed in the study. Evaluation of food treatments on study subjects is imperative in establishing inherent effects of nutrition on individuals recruited within the study.

Moreover, ability of longitudinal research in enabling evaluation during progression of study is also imperious for researchers to conduct tracking of at-risks groups. Evaluation of at-risks groups during the study enables researchers to eliminate risks and mitigate potential influence from social and cultural factors on study objectives. Secondly, longitudinal research has imperative designs that gives potential ability of sampling across multiple age cohorts with inherent technique that overcomes impact of cohort effects.

Design strategies employed in longitudinal research elusively elucidates the impacts of cohorts that remains confounded within age-differences. Ability of longitudinal research designs in sampling across multiple age cohorts enables researchers to comprehend nutrition effects in relation to age differences (Gravetter and Forzano 301). Besides, the strength of longitudinal research design assists in tracking psychological influence of nutrition on study subjects across age. Discerning psychological differences across ages enables comprehensive research that reflects nutritional effects in all population.

Thirdly, longitudinal studies provides researchers with descriptive information relating to normal development and nutritionally influenced growth. Besides, the aforementioned descriptive information enables researchers to identify antecedents of psychological nutritional effects during the study. Moreover, the descriptive information provides opportunity for testing hypothesis based on directional effects of nutrition. Weaknesses of Longitudinal research Various methodological weaknesses exist I using longitudinal research.

The first weakness of longitudinal research remains selective dropout attrition, which relates to withdrawal of study subjects. Selective dropout attrition may result from health effects and other physical complications developed by subjects in the course of study. Such weakness of the research method contributes to biases amongst the remaining subjects. The second weakness of longitudinal research relates to psychological effects on subjects by the study activities called testing effects (Anstey and Hofer 4).

Testing effects normally result due to subjects’ ability to comprehend experiences of the study. During preliminary research and collection of data, subjects responds positively to for instance, cognitive tests. However, in the subsequent studies due to gain of research experience, subjects may give unreliable data. Conclusion Based on the aforementioned weaknesses and strengths of longitudinal research, it is plausible that the method would provide cognizant results that reflects global population.

The inherent strengths of the research study method outweighs its weaknesses and adopting it would remain prudent. Longitudinal research ability to evaluate study activities is imperious in mitigating potential influences on research and consequently provision of fundamental results. Work CitedAnstey, Kaarin J., and Scott M. Hofer. "Longitudinal Designs, Methods And Analysis In Psychiatric Research." Australian & New Zealand Journal Of Psychiatry 38.3 (2004): 93-104. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.

Gravetter, Frederick, and Lori-Ann Forzano. Research Methods for the Behavioral Sciences. London: Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.