Correlations

Question 1

What are correlational studies

Answer 1

they measure the strength and direction of relationships between co-variables

Question 2

Why aren’t the variables referred to as IV and DV

Answer 2

because the study investigates the relationship between them rather than manipulating them and looking at the cause and effect relationship

Question 3

What’s the difference between a positive and negative correlation

Answer 3

positive - one co-variable increases as another co-variable increases
negative - one co-variable increases while the other co-variable decreases

Question 4

What is meant by zero correlation

Answer 4

when there is no relationship established between the co-variables

Question 5

How can you analyse correlations

Answer 5

using a scatter graph or calculating the correlation coefficient

Question 6

What is a correlational hypothesis

Answer 6

a hypothesis produced when doing a correlational analysis that states the expected association between the co-variables

Question 7

What is the correlation coefficient

Answer 7

a numerical value that represents the direction and strength of the relationship between co-variables
it is expressed as a value between -1 and +1

Question 8

How do you interpret correlation coefficients

Answer 8

+1 is a perfect positive correlation
-1 is a perfect negative correlation
0 is no relationship

Question 9

What are the key differences between correlational studies and experiments

Answer 9

in experiments, the IV is manipulated to observe its effect on the DV whereas in correlational studies we obtain to dependent variables from each participant and measure the relationship

correlational studies can study a wider range of variables than experiments

Question 10

What is a curvilinear correlation

Answer 10

when there is a predictable relationship but it is curved
(e.g inverted U hypothesis)

Question 11

What’s te the strengths of correlational studies

Answer 11

• allow researchers to access possible patterns before committing to an experiment as they provide a precise and quantifiable measure of how two variables are related
• they are quick and cheap to carry out; secondary data can be used meaning they are less time consuming and questionnaires can be used to study associations and they enable researchers to obtain large amounts of data efficiently

Question 12

What are the limitations of correlational studies

Answer 12

• due to a lack of manipulation and control, they do not show causation meaning there are unable to demonstrate which variable impacts the other
• a third variable/ extraneous variables may affect the co-variables impacting the outcome
• they are successful and work well for linear relationships but are less successful when dealing with non linear relationships/ more complex ones such as weight and physical health