correlations

Question 1

what are correlations used for?

Answer 1

tell us if there is a relationship between two variables

Question 2

what type of data do correlations always use?

Answer 2

quantitative data

Question 3

what are the similarities between correlations and experiments

Answer 3

both use sampling techniques and both consider ethical issues

Question 4

what are the differences between correlations and experiments

Answer 4

E - manipulate the IV, measure the DV

C - no IV/DV, just two co-variables

E - can establish causal relationships

C - can’t establish causal relationships

Question 5

what are the strengths of correlations?

Answer 5

• shows us how strong the relationship between co-variables is
• quantitative data = easy to analyse
• tells us if we should do further research into an area

Question 6

what are the weaknesses of correlations?

Answer 6

• lacks depth and detail
• cannot assume cause and effect as we are not manipulating anything

Question 7

what is a correlation co-efficient?

Answer 7

calculated using Spearman’s Rho

the co-efficient tells us the strength and direction of the relationship between the co-variables

is a number between -1 and +1

Question 8

what are the correlation coefficient categories?

Answer 8

-1 to -0.8 = strong negative

-0.8 to -0.5 = moderate negative

-0.5 to -0.1 = weak negative

-0.1 to 0.1 = no correlation

(positive is just the negative but obviously with positive numbers)