Psychology

Research in the field of lifespan development can be pursued with the use of different methodologies. Primarily, a developmental psychology researcher acknowledges that he or she is studying development or the systematic changes and continuities in the individual that occur between conception and death or from womb to tomb. Depending on the specific field or domain the interest of the researcher lies and the specific type of data required by the study, qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods of data collection may be employed. The quantitative approach works best when there are careful and precise specifications of the questions to be answered, a need for sampling, and a numerical analysis using statistical tests. For instance, an examination of the effects of age on bone strength and neuro-muscular function or a study on sleep patterns and its effect on a persons performance on simple or challenging tasks would require quantitative data. Qualitative methods of data collection are applicable when the aim of the research is to explore more exhaustively possible reasons for an observed trait or behavior. The researcher chooses soundly over informal or in-depth interviews, systematic observations of the daily activities of people, or the examination of written documents to dig deeper. As a result, researchers acquire a large amount of data, which they interpret and derive an explanation for what has been observed.  Qualitative data is usually utilized in the pursuit of studies on psychosocial development, such as the perceptions and experiences of life courses in relation to identity formation or childhood and adolescence. The mixed methods approach involves the use of both qualitative and quantitative techniques in data collection. I recommend the use of mixed methods or the combination of quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. The mixed methods approach allows flexibility which is advantageous in the qualitative form and the generalizability in the quantitative form of data collection.