Research In Human Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Research In Human Relations - Essay precedentLet us now define research through its characteristics. Research begins with a task or a question followed by the setting of goals and devising of a method or specific plan. The master(prenominal) problem is expounded by a hypothesis and assumptions regarding the cause or possible solutions are accepted as part of the research process. Research is non that about data gathering, but it is likewise bear on with the interpretation of data as a means to arrive at a solution to the problem or an answer to the of import question (Andersen).There are four basic research externalise elements. These elements include treatments, measures, time and radicals or individual. We shall focus on the time element for the purposes of this paper. Time is very primal as it determines the degree and quality of observed changes. There are two classifications of research design below the time element cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. A cross-se ctional study is carried out at unmatchable instance, while a longitudinal study occurs all over a period of time with a serial of measurements (Trochim, 2006). A cross-sectional study includes observation of diverse groups of people of various age levels or a cross-section of a population. A longitudinal study involves observing and gathering information from the same group of people over a period of time.The focus of cross-sectional studies is on the differences betwixt groups at a certain point in time, while the focus of longitudinal studies is on individual change over an extended period of time (A Research Typology, 2004). Since a cross-sectional study is through with(p) at only one instance, the expenses and time compulsioned to gather data are very minimal. This is an favor of the cross-sectional strategy. It is more than convenient for both the participants and the researcher because there is only one period for data gathering (King, 2001). The participants need not go back for other sessions and researchers do not need to maintain contact with participants and have got a budget for data collection over a long period of time. Another advantage is the large amount of diverse data that can be collected at one time. This data is very useful to the researcher in the immediate analysis and solution of a problem, and may excessively be very helpful to other researchers searching for similar data. A major disadvantage though of this strategy is its failure to measure the actual individual changes that will occur or may inevitably be experienced by the subjects. It is a static representation of the variables and causes and effects cannot be measure accurately. In attitudinal or perception studies more often used in Psychology, a cross-sectional study is not dependable because many factors may affect the disposition or attitude of a person at a given time. Personal problems or emotionally disturbance experienced by subjects very coda to the data ga thering session may affect their responses. The elimination of outside factors can be done through a longitudinal study where subjects are contacted at different periods where their experiences and personal dispositions are varied.The main advantage of a longitudinal study is its ability to determine actual changes and trends that happen over a vast interval of time because it documents information from each subject at specific age levels and records comparisons between subjects across different timelines. Patterns of changes and causes of