Correlational Research
Introduction:

In using the research methods we have described,researchers often wish to determine the relationship between two variables.Variables are behaviours,events or other characteristics that can change,or vary in the same way.For ex.we may want to find out if there is a relationship between variable of religious service attendance and variables of helpfulness in emergency situations.If we did find such a relationship,we could say that there was an association or a correlation between attendance at religious services and helpfulness in emergencies.
In correlational research the relationship between two sets of variables is examined to determine whether they are associated,or correlated.The strength and direction of relationship between two variables is represented by a mathematical score,known as correlation that can change from +1.0 to -1.0.
at various times,you have probably noticed that some events appear to be related to each other.As one changes,the other appears to change too.For instance,you have probably observed that as people grow older,they often seem to gain weight;people who drive new,expensive cars tend to be older than people who drive old,inexpensive ones.when such relationships between events exist,we say that the events an co-related with each other.This means that as one changes,the other tends to change too.Psychologists and other scientists refer to aspects of the natural world that can take different values as variables.
In this method,a scientist systemmatically observes two or more variables to determine whether the changes on one are accompanied by the changes on the other and to what extent the variables are related to each other.

THE AIM OF CORRELATIONAL STUDIES:

The aim of correlational studies is to investigate whether or not two (or more) measured quantities seem to occur together in people.For eg:-A scientist may wish to know if there is a relationship between intelligence and memory .so he could employ a correlational study that measured the IQ and memory ability in a sample of people so that each of them contributed a score on the scale.
From the point of view of science,it is very useful,since an observer psychologist can make predictions.
For eg:-A correlation between certain attitudes on part of individuals (one variable) and the likelihood that they would later commit serious crimes,such as rape (another variable).this correlation could be useful in identifying the potentially dangerous persons so that they can receive treatment designed to prevent them from engaging in such harmful behaviour.

CORRELATION HAS TWO CHARACTERISTICS:
Direction and magnitude:Direction is of two kinds positive and negative.In the positive correlation,the two sets of scores increase or decrease together.For a given individual both the scores tend to be low,moderate or high.eg.when age is high,the probability of illness is high;when age is low the probability of illness is low,then there is a direct relationship between the two variables.
In the negative correlation,a high score on one variable is associated with a low score on the other.The two sets of scores go in opposite directions.eg.the more an individual smokes,the less likely it is that he has healthy lungs. There is an indirect or inverse relationship between the two variables.
No particular merit is attached to the positive or negative correlation.Both indicate a relationship.The next step concerning is the degree of relationship.How strong is it ?What is the magnitude of correlation ?This is explained in terms of correlational co-efficient.It is a statistical index of the magnitude of relationship between two variables.The numerical value can range from 0 to +1.00 for a positive correlation and from 0 to -1.00 for negative correlations.
- A correlation of +1.00 indicates perfect relatonship where both the factors or variables occur together (which is rarely found in psychological studies for human behaviour) and no correlation can exceed a value of one.

- A correlation of 0.79 to 0.99 indicates a very strong relationship where two factors occur together very
often.
- A correlation of 0.51 to 0.75 indicates a strong relationship where two factors occur together frequently.
- A correlation of 0.26 to 0.50 indicates a moderate relationship where two factors occur together
ocassionally.
- A correlation of 0.01 to 0.25 indicates a weak relationship when the two factors occur together very rarely.
- A correlation of 0.00 indicates no relationship i.e te two factors never occur together.

Therefore correlations range from -1.00 to +1.00 and the more they depart from zero,the stronger the correlation.For instance,a correlation of -0.82 is stronger than the one of +0.23
ADVANTAGES OF CORRELATION:
It can be used in the natural settings.A large amount of information can be obtained in a relatively short period of time.

DISADVANTAGES OF CORRELATION:
The fact that two variables are correlated,even highly correlated does not guarentee that there is a casual link between them that changes cause the changes in the other.So the main disadvantage of correlation is that it suffers from the cause and effect relationsip.
References:
* Masturing psychology-Davis and houtgon
*Psychology-Robert Baron.

Submitted to:MS Shalini Aiyappa.
Submitted by:Group 7.
Members:Deepali,Praveen,Sweety,
Brandon.