Correlation

Question 1

What is correlation?

Answer 1

-Studies involved in measuring relationships between two co-variables.
-No manipulation to determined cause and effect.

Question 2

What type of data does correlations use?

Answer 2

Ordinal level of measurement.

Question 3

What type of graph is used for a correlation?

Answer 3

Scatter graph

Question 4

What type of correlation would it be if there is no pattern?

Answer 4

No correlation

Question 5

What type of correlation would it be if there was a incline in the data?

Answer 5

Positive correlation

Question 6

What type of correlation would it be if there was a decrease in the data?

Answer 6

Negative correlation

Question 7

What is the correlation co-efficient?

Answer 7

A number that represents the strength and direction of the correlation between -1 and 1

Question 8

What are some strengths of correlations?

Answer 8

-you are only measuring things that have already happened: high ecological validity and high mundane realism
-procedures can be repeated: high reliability
-can run stats tests to confirm a correlation
-don’t need to consider any ethics as you are not testing on people
-can do tests which would otherwise be unethical

Question 9

What are some weaknesses of correlations?

Answer 9

-can’t look at cause and effect so you cannot tell what is causing certain behaviours.
-more EV’s as more variables can effect another than the one being observed: lowers validity.
-strong correlations can be misleading as you cannot determine cause and effect.