ABSTRACT
In tracing lives through longitudinal research, one is unlikely to find that both members of a married couple are contained in a sample that was selected prior to adolescence. If marital partners are subsequently included in the research, however, the researcher can not only present a developmental picture of one person antecedent to the marriage but the views of both as to how the marriage has run its course over time. This opportunity was available for many of the subjects of the three longitudinal studies conducted at the Institute of Human Development from 1928 (Berkeley Guidance Study and Berkeley Growth Study) or 1931 (Oakland Growth Study) to date.
