UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

A cross-sequential design involves selecting multiple cohorts of different ages and following them over time, thus combining features of cross-sectional and longitudinal designs. It allows researchers to disentangle age effects, cohort effects and time-of-measurement effects more effectively than using either approach alone. This design is particularly useful in developmental research. Because the stem describes studying several cohorts over time using both cross-sectional and longitudinal elements, cross-sequential design is the correct term.

Option A:
Cross-sectional designs collect data from different age groups at a single point in time, providing a snapshot but not tracking changes within individuals. They do not incorporate repeated measurement over time for the same cohorts. Thus, cross-sectional is not the best completion here.

Option B:
Longitudinal designs follow the same group of participants over an extended period but do not necessarily include multiple age cohorts at the outset. They capture intra-individual change but may confound age and cohort effects. The stem, however, refers to combining several cohorts and following them, which is distinctive of cross-sequential designs.

Option C:
Cross-sequential designs reduce some limitations of purely longitudinal or cross-sectional approaches by allowing researchers to compare patterns across cohorts and time. This structure matches the description in the question precisely, confirming cross-sequential as the appropriate answer.

Option D:
Time series designs involve repeated measurements of a single group over time, often in quasi-experimental contexts, but they usually do not include multiple distinct age cohorts studied concurrently. Therefore, time series is not the correct term for the design described.