Based on this scenario, diagnose why the psychologist cannot conclude that making daily to-do lists causes a reduction in stress. Then, explain what changes when transitioning to an experimental design, justifying how it would allow the researcher to support a cause-and-effect claim.
Case context: A psychologist studies the connection between organizing daily to-do lists and stress. The psychologist collects survey responses and finds a strong statistical association: participants who write daily to-do lists have significantly lower stress levels.
Question: Based on this scenario, diagnose why the psychologist cannot conclude that making daily to-do lists causes a reduction in stress. Then, explain what changes when transitioning to an experimental design, justifying how it would allow the researcher to support a cause-and-effect claim.
Sample answer: The psychologist cannot conclude causation because the study is correlational, meaning it only identifies a statistical relationship between making to-do lists and stress but cannot establish causation. If the researcher transitions to an experimental design, they would control for or eliminate alternative explanations. This control allows the researcher to isolate how changes in making daily to-do lists directly cause changes in stress levels, thereby supporting a cause-and-effect claim.
Key points:
- Comprehends that the survey study is correlational and can only establish a statistical relationship.
- Explains that correlational designs cannot establish causation because they do not rule out alternative explanations.
- Identifies that an experimental design controls for or eliminates alternative explanations.
- Explains that controlling alternative explanations allows the researcher to isolate direct cause-and-effect changes.
Rubric: The response must explain that the current survey study is correlational and cannot establish causation. It must explain that transitioning to an experimental design allows the researcher to control for or eliminate alternative explanations and isolate the direct impact of the independent variable on the dependent variable.
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