Correlation

Question 1

What is correlation?

Answer 1

A correlation is a method used to assess the degree to which 2 co variables are related. The term correlation is used to refer to a study that uses a correlational analysis.

Question 2

What are some positives of using correlation?

Answer 2

• Provides a means of looking at relationships between continous variable and determining whether the relationship is significant. The alternative is to look at differences as in experiemtnal research
• It is a useful way to conduct preliminary analysis on data. If a correlation is not strong then we can rule out a casual relationship. We can’t demonstrate a causal relationship using a correlation but if there is no correlation between co variables then there cant be a causal relationship. If the correlation is strong then further investigation is justified because there may be a casual link

Question 3

What are some negatives about correlations?

Answer 3

• Cannot show a cause-and-effect relationship because there is no independent variable that has been deliberately altered. People often misinterpret correlations and assume that a cause and effect have been found whereas this is not possible. The graphs at the bottom of the page illustrate this.
• If co-variables are correlated one may be causing the changes in the other but we do not know the direction of the possible effect. For example, research studies have shown a positive correlation between amount of violent videos watched and aggressiveness. It might be that watching violent videos is increasing aggressiveness, or it could be that more aggressive people choose to watch violent videos.
• There may be intervening variables that can explain why the co-variables being studied are linked. For example, research studies have shown a positive correlation between amount of TV watched and aggressiveness. However, it is wrong to conclude that watching TV is directly related to aggressiveness because it could be that a low boredom threshold was the cause of both of them, an intervening factor.
• The method used to measure either co-variable may lack reliability or validity. For example, one co-variable may be measured using a questionnaire (such as when measuring aggressiveness). The reliability and validity of the questionnaire would affect the reliability and validity of the research using a correlation.