Secondary Data Analysis

An important option for the study of life-span development is the use of secondary data analysis to study the changes that occur in individuals across the life span. Secondary data analysis refers to the use of existing data that have been collected by another researcher for a specific primary research pursuit. It also refers to the analysis of large-scale data that are collected by research organizations for the use of the research community. In both situations, the current user of the data did not design or collect the data and thus is using it in a secondary capacity. There are many advantages to using these data sets for pursuing research on life-span development, as will be detailed in this entry along with information on how ...