Cross-Sectional Methodologies in Developmental Psychology

Cross-sectional methodologies are typically adopted in the field of developmental psychology when assessing the impact of developmental age or stage on some cognitive measure. Here, we describe the statistical techniques that form the foundation of cross-sectional studies and illustrate their use through recent examples from the literature. We present both behavioral and brain-imaging work and emphasize the value of cross-sectional designs, with particular reference to studies that explore atypical development and consider change across the life span.