Chaper 12 - The Correlational Research Strategy

Question 1

What is the goal of a correlational research strategy?

Answer 1

establish that a relationship exists between variables and to describe the nature of the relationship

Question 2

Does a correlational strategy attempt to explain the relationship and manipulate, control, or interfere with the variables?

Answer 2

NO

Question 3

What is the difference between a correlational and experimenatl research strategy?

Answer 3

Experiment demonstrates a cause-and-effect relationship between two variables by manipulating one variable. A correlational study does not determine cause-and-effect relationship and only looks for patterns within the scores of individual

Question 4

Which of the following is a defining characteristic of the correlational research strategy?

Answer 4

The intent is to demonstrate the relationship between variables.

Question 5

Which of the following commonly occurs in a correlational study?

Answer 5

Two variables are measured.

Question 6

A researcher would like to examine the relationship between self-esteem and academic performance for high school students. Instead of a correlational study, what other kind of study could the researcher use?

Answer 6

A differential study comparing academic performance scores for a group of high self-esteem students and a group of low self-esteem students

Question 7

What is known as a value that measures and describes the relationship between two variables?

Answer 7

Correlation or Correlation coefficient

Question 8

What are the three characteristics of a relationship:

Answer 8

1. Direction
2. Form
3. Consistency or strength

Question 9

How many types of relationships can a direction have?

Answer 9

2–a positive and a negative

Question 10

A positive relationship is when…

Answer 10

Two variables change in the same direction.
As one variable increases ➔ the other variable increases.

Question 11

A negative relationship is when…

Answer 11

Two variables change in opposite directions
Increases in one variable ➔ matches with decreases in the other variable

Question 12

What is it called when the data points in the scatter plot tend to cluster around a straight line

Answer 12

Linear relationship

Question 13

What is it called when each time the X variable increases by one point, the Y variable increases/decreases in a consistent amount?

Answer 13

Positive linear relationship

Question 14

The numerical value (0.0–1.0) indicates the…

Answer 14

strength or consistency of the relationship

Question 15

Why is one weakness the third variable problem?

Answer 15

Because two variables are related, does not mean that there must be a direct relationship between them

A third (unidentified) variable may be responsible for producing the observed relation

Question 16

Why is one weakness the directionality problem?

Answer 16

A correlational study does not establish a relationship of cause-and-effect

EX. Does depression cause lack of sleep or does lack of sleep cause depression?

Question 17

The results from a correlational study show a positive relationship between aggressive behavior for 6-year-old children and the amount of violence they watch on television. Based on this relationship, which of the following conclusions is justified?

Answer 17

A: Children who watch more TV violence exhibit more aggressive behavior

Question 18

A researcher reports a positive relationship between sugar consumption and activity level for a group of 8-year-old children. However, the researcher cannot be sure whether the extra sugar is causing the children to be more active or whether the extra activity is causing the children to eat more sugar. Which of the following is demonstrated by this example?

Answer 18

The directionality problem