Correlations

Question 1

Correlation

Answer 1

Correlations show how things are linked together.
They tell us the strength and direction of the association or relationship between co-variables.

Question 2

Strength of correlation

Answer 2

A strength is that correlations are a good starting point for research. If two variables are related this gives researchers ideas for future investigations.

Another strength is that correlations can be used to investigate more complex relationships. For example the curvilinear relationship between people’s alertness and time of day.
This means correlation has many uses.

Question 3

weaknesses of correlations

Answer 3

Weaknesses
A weakness is that correlations do not tell us whether one co-variable causes the other. This means it is not possible to show cause and effect. This limits the usefulness of the technique.
Another weakness is that intervening variables may affect the co-variables. This is because there is no control of extraneous variables. This means it is possible to draw a conclusion that is wrong.