The Dangers Of Correlational Data

11. Why is correlation data (data showing that two events occurred at the same time) not necessarily meaningful? Because one factor might not be the cause of the other.

Qualifications for best available research, consist of medical (health science) research, which reigns supreme because it most likely will yield accurate, unbiased and information, with multiple practice questions for specific patients and or patient groups. The research is large and effective in relation to prevalence, treatment, assessment, disorders and patient populations. The evidence should yield systematic

One criticism of this research is that it is correlational. Therefore, we cannot infer a causal

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

While this structure provides a starting point for the critique of evidence strength, the prudent evaluation and, subsequent, translation into practice guidelines requires further consideration (Greenhalgh, 2010). Research can be scrutinized into measures of quality. John Hopkins Hospital grades evidence on a high to low scale, A through C, based on criteria including consistency of results, reproducibility of findings, sample size of study, level of study control, organizational design, and expert opinion (Newhouse, Dearholt, Poe, Pugh, & White, 2005). Using this evaluation tool, an A score would result in a recommendation for clinical practice while a score of C should alert the clinician to a low quality of research and should not be incorporated into practice guidelines (Newhouse et al., 2005).

Understanding of evidence based practice is key for making clinical decisions. Every day clinicians use pain scales and depression scales. Quantitative research brings understanding to topics such as: primary care outcomes of nurse practitioners, modifiable health risks effect on health care costs, pain management, blood pressure monitoring. Quantitative research is made up of different types of research. Descriptive research is used to describe concepts, identify relationships among variables, or compare and contrast groups. Correlational research examines the strength of relationships among variables. Quasi-experimental studies determine the effect of an independent variable (treatment) on designated dependent variables (outcomes). Experimental studies are done in controlled settings to determine the effect of an independent variable on a dependent variable (Gray, Grove, & Sutherland, 2017).

True or False: Correlations are used to help identify the relationship between two variables. For

Inoculation of smallpox was an experiment of the eighteenth century which was the practice of infecting people with mild cases of smallpox so they could strengthen their immune system against the deadly cases of smallpox. The results of the experiment confirmed that it worked because there was an epidemic in the 1720s and people with the treatment did not get infected. This is relevant because it emphasizes the ways people back then would experiment with things having no idea if they worked or not. Pgs

Tool validity is an extremely important aspect when gathering information used in research. There are many different tools that can be used depending on what is being researched. “Trustworthiness of the data can only be as good as the instruments or tests used to collect the data” (Boswell & Cannon, 2014). Many healthcare providers use research to increase their knowledge to help make decisions for changes in policy and procedures and in ways to care for patients.

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

While researchers will never state that one variable caused another variable to occur, as there are so many variables to consider in social science research.

This study was limited due to the small sample size. Although the conclusions are valid, more research with a

Research is one of the best ways for a student to pursue his or her passions. The process of researching is complex and fascinating. I have gained a better understanding of published works and a passion for the medical field. During the research process, it is crucial to double check for any mistakes in a research project, as a mistake would lead to misleading results and bias. When researching, especially in the medical field, one must keep in mind the end goal and the practical applications of the research to avoid being sidetracked. Often times, when viewing the results of data analysis, one could find an outlier. One should discover the reasoning behind outliers, as they offer insight into potential mistakes and research opportunities.

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).