The term cohort effect is used in
social science
Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of soc ...
to describe variations in the characteristics of an area of study (such as the incidence of a characteristic or the age at onset) over time among individuals who are defined by some shared temporal experience or common life experience, such as year of birth, or year of exposure to radiation.
Cohort effects are important to
epidemiologists
Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population.
It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evidenc ...
searching for patterns in illnesses. Certain illnesses may be socially affected via the
anticipation phenomenon, and cohort effects can be an indicator of this sort of phenomenon.
Cohort effects are important to resource dependency, and economics theorists when these groups affect structures of influence within their larger organizations. Cohorts in organizations are often defined by entry or birth date, and they retain some common characteristic (size, cohesiveness, competition) that can affect the organization. For example, cohort effects are critical issues in school enrollment.
In order to determine whether a cohort effect is present, a researcher may conduct a
cohort study
A cohort study is a particular form of longitudinal study that samples a cohort (a group of people who share a defining characteristic, typically those who experienced a common event in a selected period, such as birth or graduation), performing ...
.
See also
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Political socialization
Political socialization is the process by which individuals learn and frequently internalize a political lens framing their perceptions of how power is arranged and how the world around them is (and should be) organized; those perceptions, in turn ...
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Socialization
In sociology, socialization or socialisation (see spelling differences) is the process of internalizing the norms and ideologies of society. Socialization encompasses both learning and teaching and is thus "the means by which social and cultur ...
External links
Cohort Effects on Earnings Profiles
Social research
Epidemiology
Medical statistics
Cohort study methods