Longitudinal Studies Psychology Coursework Research Paper

Costa and McCrae’s Baltimore VS George Vaillant Studies
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Introduction
Earlier longitudinal research on the personality of adulthood has restricted and unreliable results secondary to the restrained number of traits that have been assessed and to the data gathering methods utilized such as self-reports. Moreover, previous studies have only focused on men. Studies that defied these norms in research include Costa and McCrae’s Baltimore and George Vaillant Studies.
Similarities and Differences
Both longitudinal researches studied adult psychology. Both also studied men and women using self-reports via questionnaires and interviews. These longitudinal studies assessed three traits including Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Openness. However, the Baltimore Study also evaluated two other aspects including Agreeableness and Conscientiousness (Costa & McCrae, 1988). The inclusion criterium for the age is 29-96 years-old for Costa and McCrae’s Baltimore Study (Costa & McCrae, 1988). By contrast, Soldz & Vaillant’s (1999) study 67-68 years-old. Both studies also examine the effects of their personality traits from middle adulthood to the older adulthood stage.