Types Of Studies In Psychology (2026)

This is the "gold standard" for determining cause and effect.

The group that doesn't get the "treatment," used as a baseline for comparison. 4. Longitudinal vs. Cross-Sectional These refer to the timing of the study: types of studies in psychology

These aim to describe a phenomenon as it naturally occurs without manipulating any variables. This is the "gold standard" for determining cause and effect

These are similar to experiments, but participants aren't randomly assigned. This is often used for ethical or practical reasons—for example, you can't "assign" someone to be a smoker; you have to find people who already smoke. types of studies in psychology

Both variables move in the same direction.