2.4 Correlational research Flashcards
Correlational research attempts to ..
determine the degree to which two or more variables are related
most often correlational designs rely on..
survey data such as self-report questionnaires
To correlate two variables means to ..
assess the extent to which being high or low on one measure predicts being high or low on the other.
A correlation coefficient measures ..
the extent to which two variables are related (literally, co-related, or related to each other)
A positive correlation means..
the higher individuals measure on one variable, the higher they are likely to measure on the other
A negative correlation means ..
the higher participants measure on one variable, the lower they will measure on the other.
Correlations can be depicted on…
scatterplot graphs
Correlation coefficients vary between…
+ 1.0 and − 1.0
A weak correlation…
hovers close to zero
Variables with a correlation close to zero are…
unrelated and thus cannot be used to predict one another.
a correlation matrix is…
a table presenting the correlations among a number of variables
Childhood agreeableness and achievement motivation both tend to predict ..
positive functioning in all three domains in late adolescence
In psychological research, theoretically meaningful correlations tend to hover around..
.3
correlations above .5 are considered
large
The virtue of correlational research is that it allows ..
to study a whole range of phenomena that vary in nature — from personality characteristics to attitudes — but cannot be produced in the laboratory
