“Understanding Whole Lives: Longitudinal Data Analysis”

Hosted by Deborah Carr on October 28th, 2026

Sociologists and people who eagerly attend their high school reunions are often motivated by the same questions like “how do people change over time?” and “why do people turn out the way they do?”. Longitudinal data, or studies that track cohorts of individuals over long periods of time, help us to answer those questions. Yet these data also help us to sidestep research challenges like the selection-causation debate, and reverse-causation. Longitudinal data also aren’t perfect – so understanding who participates and who drops out is critical to answering the question “how do people change over time.” During her talk, author and researcher Deborah Carr will review the main strengths and weaknesses of longitudinal data, showcase examples from classic and new longitudinal studies, and give examples of creative ways to use missing data and multiple-reporter data.

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