Correlations

• diff between correlational studies and experiments- experimental designs require manipulation of the independent variable and a measurement of the resulting change in the dependent variable. in a correlational study, no variables are manipulated, two co-variables are measured and compared to look for a relationship.
• co-variables: the two factors/variables measured/ collected by the researcher and then compared to each other.
• correlations- do not show causation- while a strong correlation may suggest a relationship exists between two variables, it does not show which co-variable led to the change in the other co variable and there is the possibility that an unknown third variable caused the change in both covariables
• correlational studies can highlight potential causal relationships, these can then be tested with experimental methods to discover cause and effect relationships. often the covariable data already exists and is highly accessible, this means there is usually few ethical problems in data collection