Praxis Psychology Exam Prep

Answer: B - A cross-sectional study is a research design that looks at a ‘snapshot’ of a phenomenon such as cancer rates.
Key Takeaway: A cross-sectional study studies how a number of variables affect one another in a single point in time. Amanda’s study of lung cancer rates in the Appalachian town would gather different information such as demographics, economics, and health conditions of participants. Once the data is collected, she can correlate these variables to the rates of lung cancer development. For example, the research can show that low income earners who are long time smokers are more likely to develop lung cancer before the age of 60.