Taking a Look at Correlational Studies

There are several differences between correlation and causation. Correlation is if an event happens and is not related to another event and it is a coincidence. This would be if an event happened but it was not connected to another. An example of this would be catching a foul ball at a baseball game. It would be a correlation because you just happened to be in that place where the ball was hit and were able to catch it. Causation on the other hand is a cause and effect. One thing happens because another thing previously happened. An example of this would be if a person drank caffeine late at night, then they would be up all night. Another example of this would be if someone slipped on ice coming out of class.

Why it is difficult for researchers to isolate specific causes of child behaviour - using two of your own examples. How is the term “correlation” a solution to this problem?

Researchers have studied the correlation between birth defects and tobacco. Correlation is not about cause and effect but rather how a relationship between two variables works

Correlative studies are ones where the independent variable is not manipulated. Instead, scientists research the existing variation in them. Causative studies are ones that manipulate the independent variable to see how it affects the dependent variable.

A developmental psychologist who used the correlational method found that there was a positive correlation between children's self-esteem and their academic achievement. First, what does a positive correlation mean in this case? Second, how might these results be explained?

The study conducted was an experimental study. In this study, an independent variable was manipulated and a dependent variable was measured making it an experiment. A correlational study is where you compare the connection between to variables which did not take place in this study. One group was given the drug and the other was given the placebo. Researchers took note of how the patients given the drug reacted. A hypothesis is a testable prediction of what can happen under specific circumstances. In this study, the hypothesis was: If a group with a stuttering problem is given a certain drug that stimulates parts in the frontal lobe, then the people in the group will experience the ability to speak better. The independent variable in the study

However with advantages come disadvantages. For example, with correlational studies there is no background information obtained. Therefore, the reliability of the correlational studies is questioned.

In this essay I will describe correlation is a measure of association as well as describe different methods of establishing a correlation between variables. In this essay I will also explain advantages and disadvantages of each method, were each must be applied, and provide particular circumstances and examples in which a researcher may want to establish correlation

The study was structured in a correlational research method, because there are no independent variables or dependent variables as the study is looking for an association between whether there is an association between self-punishment motivations for NSSI engagement and

Using a correlational study, I would test the hypothesis by using a natural observation. I would observe police officers, because they are known to have frustrating job. I would follow a series of officers, ranging in gender and age, and observe their reactions when frustrated by someone they are arresting. I would want to see the correlation between high levels of frustration with a particularly aggravating arrest, and their behavior towards others after. The independent variable for this study would be the level of frustration in the officer, and the dependent variable would be the individual being arrested. I could operationalize the independent variable by using a scale for the various responses elicited by the officers. The scale would be determined by the number of aggressive responses towards others around them

This is a correlational study and it has quantitative character. The article consists of next sections: Abstract, Introduction, Method (this part also consists of such subsections as Subjects, PDS, Tasks, and Procedure), Results, Discussion, and References.

The article describes a correlational study, so the researchers are not able to make causal claims. It is identified as a correlational study because the researchers are looking at two variables and looking to see the connection. The researchers are looking at 330,000 men and women who exercise for 20 minutes a day. They are not making them do

Research shows that there is a correlation that shows the relationshop between the IQ and the grade point average of students. It was found that the correlation is strong at a .75 because it’s a direct relationship. For instance when someone has a higher IQ they are more likely going to have a higher GPA. However although the correlation shows a higher IQ means higher GPA does not mean that is the only reason the GPA is rising, it could be because they hired a tutor, have been studying more or are maybe just in more interesting classes. In correlation studies they show that there is a relationship between two different variables however it is not evidence or proof in any way. The reason it isn’t proof is because it has not been proven that they are directly the reason for the relationship however that they do have common results. Some of the reasons correlation cannot prove anything is because of the limitations; these would be the lack of information about the correlation, sample size or the standard deviation. In our text it states “If the word correlation is broken down co-relation it is expresses what is meant: The characteristics are related and the evidence for the relationship is that they vary together, or co-vary. As the level of one variable changes, the other changes in concert, this happens because both variables contain some of the same information. The higher the correlation the more they may have in common” (Tanner,2011).

Observational research is type of correlational (i.e., nonexperimental) research in which a researcher observes ongoing behavior. There are a variety of types of observational research, each of which has both strengths and weaknesses. These types are organized below by the extent to which an experimenter intrudes upon or controls the environment.

In Psychology 101 we learned that research methods are used in order to understand our mental and behavioral processes by making observations in a systematic way, following strict rules of evidence and thinking critically about that evidence. This scientific research is based on theories (tentative explanations of observations in science), hypotheses (predictions based on a theory) and replication (testing a hypothesis in more than one study). Some of the different research methods are firstly, descriptive studies. Descriptive studies are studies that use survey methods, naturalistic observation and clinical methods. Another research method is correlational studies. Correlational studies are studies that help one to determine if a relationship exists between two or more variables and if so it tells one how strongly those two variables relate to one another. With in correlational studies one can have positive correlation (as one variable increases or decreases so does the other), negative correlation (variables go in opposite directions) or zero correlation (no relationship between the variables). Another research method is formal experiments. Formal experiments are studies that allow us to draw conclusions about how one variable may cause or have an effect on another variable. With in formal experiments there are four elements, which are the independent variable (variable that is manipulated or controlled), the dependent variable (variable that is measured), the experimental