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This paper considers the present state of replication in the social sciences with special reference to a subtype of replication, longitudinal research as it applies to community research. Opportunities and pitfalls in replication are illustrated in the experience of the Middletown III Project, a 50-year follow-up of Robert and Helen Lynd's study of the same community in 1924-1925. Replication is defined as research undertaken with reference to a particular baseline study, and a replication may differ from the baseline study in any of its major features. A typology of replicative studies is offered based on four properties of research: time, location, subjects, and method. Longitudinal research is defined as a subtype of replication, and growing interest in and practice of longitudinal research are noted. Community research, which may involve mUltiple replications within a single local context, is contrasted with the usual longitudinal studies that trace specific individuals over time and through a variety of community contexts. Five guidelines for replications are offered: (a) clearly establish the baseline to be replicated; (b) resist the temptation to expand the replication to include topics absent in the baseline study; (c) where extensions are justified, try to include longitudinal linkages using techniques of retrospective or life-history reconstruction; (d) control the urge to update the datacollection instruments; and (e)pay close attention to the interplay between community-level variables and data on individual attitudes and experiences.

Data compiled from three replications -- completed in 1977, 1989, & 1999 -- of Robert & Helen Lynd's (1929) survey of student attitudes toward civil rights, information sources, international issues, patriotism, religion, & social justice in 1924 is analyzed to ascertain whether student attitudes have remained consistent over the 75-year interval. Overviews of the processes of carrying out the replications & the various difficulties encountered in conducting them are provided; in addition, changes in the demographic characteristics of the 1924, 1977, 1989, & 1999 are highlighted, eg, the percentage of African American students & other students of color at the Middletown high school in Muncie, IN, increased dramatically over the interval. Several findings regarding student attitudes toward the aforementioned issues are then reported including declined support for traditional religious beliefs, increased support for people's right to free speech, & decreased belief that the US is "unquestionably the best country in the world." Nevertheless, it is stressed that student attitudes on issues of information sources, international affairs, & social justice remained relatively consistent. Additional results concerning the severity of class, gender, & race differentials in student attitudes are also presented. 1 Appendix, 7 References. J. W. Parker