Longitudinal and cross-sectional designs – UGC NET Question

Statements A, B, C and E accurately describe the two designs. Cross-sectional studies take a snapshot of different groups at one time, whereas longitudinal studies repeatedly observe the same individuals, making them suitable for developmental questions. Longitudinal designs indeed face challenges such as participant attrition. Statement D is false because cross-sectional designs are less appropriate than longitudinal ones for examining change within individuals over time.

Option A:
Option A is incomplete because it omits E, thereby failing to recognise a major practical limitation of longitudinal research, namely attrition. Without E, the comparison between the two designs lacks a key practical dimension.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect because it includes D, which contradicts the accepted view that longitudinal designs are more appropriate for studying individual change, and it also omits E. This combination therefore misrepresents the strengths and weaknesses of the designs.

Option C:
Option C is correct as it groups all the true statements about how data are collected, what questions can be answered and what difficulties may arise in longitudinal research. It excludes D, which wrongly elevates cross-sectional designs for studying individual change over time.

Option D:
Option D is wrong because it includes D and omits A, thereby misclassifying the suitability of cross-sectional designs for change studies and neglecting a basic definition of cross-sectional data collection. This leads to an inaccurate comparison of the two designs.