Limitations

• (P) Sample Attrition

  • some problems keeping track of the sample over the length of the entire study.
  • some participants may be difficult to find or choose to no longer take part in study
  • further problem is those who drop out may not be typical of those who stay in
  • members of team of researchers could also drop out or change jobs (researcher attrition)
• (P) Time and cost

  • data produced could be difficult to analyse because there is such a large about and this means by definition results cannot be obtained quickly
  • can also be very costly because they take such a long time .
  • means for a researcher to use them , they must have secured a large amount of funding through sponsorship
• (E) Impact on lives of the participants

  • as particiapnts spend a significantly long time of their lives being involved in study it may have an impact on the way they live their lives
  • Hawthorne effect may occur where those in the sample may act differently as a result of prolonged attention they receive through being in a study