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Define correlational research and identify its key characteristics regarding variable manipulation and the control of extraneous variables. In addition, state the two primary scientific goals that this research strategy allows investigators to achieve, and name the specific statistical technique used to make predictions from one variable to another.
Question: Define correlational research and identify its key characteristics regarding variable manipulation and the control of extraneous variables. In addition, state the two primary scientific goals that this research strategy allows investigators to achieve, and name the specific statistical technique used to make predictions from one variable to another.
Sample answer: Correlational research is a type of non-experimental research where an investigator measures two variables (either continuous or categorical) and assesses the statistical relationship between them. It is characterized by little to no effort to control extraneous variables or manipulate an independent variable. The two scientific goals achieved by this strategy are describing the strength and direction of the relationship between the variables, and predicting scores on one variable based on the other using a statistical technique called regression.
Key points:
- Correlational research is a non-experimental research design that measures two variables and evaluates their statistical relationship.
- Crucially, the researcher does not manipulate an independent variable or control extraneous variables.
- One fundamental scientific goal of correlational research is to describe the strength and direction of the relationship between variables.
- Another scientific goal is to predict scores on one variable based on the other variable.
- Regression is the specific statistical technique used to make these predictions.
Rubric: To earn full credit, the response must: 1) Define correlational research as non-experimental and specify that it measures two variables. 2) Explicitly state that there is little to no manipulation of an independent variable or control of extraneous variables. 3) State the two scientific goals: describing the relationship (strength and direction) and predicting scores. 4) Identify regression as the technique used for prediction.
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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