ABSTRACT
Social developmentalists are interested in development throughout the lifespan, which means that the young as well as the old are studied. While research methods are generic in that they can be used by psychologists per se, developmental psychologists often have to devise specialised techniques enabling, for example, babies and infants to be observed and tested. The research methods and designs used by developmental psychologists are modified to accommodate the needs of their participants. The chapter discusses the importance of studying a representative sample used by developmental psychologists. It provides a discussion on the methods of collecting quantitative and qualitative data including longitudinal studies, surveys, observational and self-report studies, research designs including correlational methods and experiments. The chapter describes the relative merits of lab verses field experiments. It explains the importance of ethical considerations in developmental studies. According to the British Psychological Society, researchers need to consider four ethical principles: respect, competence, responsibility and integrity.
