Developmental scientists have argued that the implementation of longitudinal methods is necessary for obtaining an accurate picture of the nature and sources of developmental change (Magnusson & Stattin, 2006; Morrison & Ornstein, 1996). Developmentalists studying cognition have been relatively slow to embrace longitudinal research, and thus, few exemplar studies have tracked individual children's cognitive performance over time and even fewer have examined contexts that are associated with this growth. In this article, we first outline some of the benefits of implementing longitudinal designs. Using illustrations from existing studies of children's basic cognitive development and of their school-based academic performance, we discuss when it may be appropriate to employ longitudinal (vs. other) methods. We then outline methods for integrating longitudinal data into one's research portfolio and contrast the leveraging of existing longitudinal data sets with the launching of new longitudinal studies to address specific questions concerning cognitive development. Finally, for those who are interested in conducting longitudinal investigations of their own, we provide practical on-the-ground guidelines for designing and carrying out such studies of cognitive development.

中文翻译：

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随着时间的变化：对儿童认知发展进行纵向研究


发育科学家认为，为了准确了解发育变化的性质和来源，实施纵向方法是必要的（Magnusson & Stattin，2006；Morrison & Ornstein，1996）。研究认知的发展主义者接受纵向研究的速度相对较慢，因此，很少有范例研究跟踪个别儿童随时间的认知表现，而研究与这种成长相关的背景的研究就更少了。在本文中，我们首先概述了实施纵向设计的一些好处。利用现有关于儿童基本认知发展及其在校学习成绩的研究的例证，我们讨论何时适合采用纵向（与其他）方法。然后，我们概述了将纵向数据整合到研究组合中的方法，并将现有纵向数据集的利用与启动新的纵向研究进行对比，以解决有关认知发展的具体问题。最后，对于那些有兴趣进行自己的纵向调查的人，我们提供了设计和开展此类认知发展研究的实用指南。