correlations Flashcards
what is a correlation?
they show an association between 2 variables (co-variables)
what do correlations measure?
they measure the relationship between variables, they do not involve direct manipulation and are different from experiments
what is a positive correlation?
when one variable increases, the other variable also increases
what is a negative correlation?
as one variable increases the other variable decreases
what is a zero correlation?
there is no association between variables
how are correlations measured?
measured statistically to give a correlation coefficient
what is a correlation coefficient?
they range from -1 to +1
what is a +1 correlation?
positive
what is a -1 correlation?
negative
what is a scattergraph?
a graph used when doing a correlation
what do scattergraphs show?
the relationship (correlation) between 2 sets of scores
what do scattergraphs refer to in the correlation?
they refer to the direction of the correlation, the strength and what it shows
AO3: what are some strengths to correlation analysis?
these can be useful when its unethical to manipulate the variables as you can see how the variables correspond to each other
it is a very visual way of seeing an association (this can then be explored during a lab experiment) so its good for initial exploratory research
AO3: what are some limitations to correlation analysis?
they do not prove cause and effect
it only shows association between two variables, not that one caused the other. this means there be another variable responsible for the association
therefore, a correlation does not cause causality
what is an example of a directional correlational hypothesis?
e.g. there is a positive correlation between the price of chocolate and its tastiness rating
