Correlational Research Designs and Causation Quiz

Explore the intricacies of correlational research & causation with this quiz. Assess your knowledge on variables, limitations, and experimental designs.

Practice Learn Test

Which of the following best describes correlational research?

Determining cause-and-effect relationships between variables

Describing the relationship between variables without manipulating them

Randomly assigning participants to different conditions

Studying the effects of an independent variable on a dependent variable

In correlational research, what does a positive correlation between two variables indicate?

There is a cause-and-effect relationship between the variables

There is no relationship between the variables

As one variable increases, the other variable decreases

As one variable increases, the other variable also increases

In an experiment, which variable is manipulated by the researcher?

Dependent variable

Extraneous variable

Independent variable

Confounding variable

Which type of research design allows researchers to establish causality?

Correlational design

Experimental design

Observational design

Cross-sectional design

What is the purpose of a control group in experimental research?

To serve as a baseline for comparison with the experimental group

To ensure that the experiment is conducted ethically

To eliminate confounding variables

To provide additional data for analysis

What is a major limitation of correlational research?

Difficulty in determining cause-and-effect relationships

Inability to measure variables accurately

Lack of control over extraneous variables

Limited generalizability of results

Which statistical measure is used to determine the strength and direction of a correlation?

Mean

Standard deviation

Correlation coefficient

Chi-square

Which of the following is a requirement for establishing causation?

A correlation between variables

Temporal precedence

Sampling bias

Statistical significance

What is meant by the term 'confounding variable' in research?

A variable that is mistakenly identified as the cause of an outcome

A variable that changes systematically along with the independent variable

A variable that distorts the relationship between the independent and dependent variables

A variable that influences the participant's responses

#10

What is the purpose of random assignment in experimental research?

To ensure that participants are representative of the population

To eliminate confounding variables

To ensure that each participant has an equal chance of being assigned to any condition

To control for experimenter bias

#11

Which of the following is a key difference between correlational and experimental research?

Correlational research involves manipulation of variables, while experimental research does not.

Experimental research examines cause-and-effect relationships, while correlational research does not.

Correlational research uses random assignment, while experimental research does not.

Experimental research relies on observational data, while correlational research relies on experimental data.

#12

What is a potential limitation of experimental research?

Difficulty in establishing causal relationships

Limited control over extraneous variables

Difficulty in generalizing results to real-world settings

Lack of statistical power

#13

What does a correlation coefficient of -0.70 indicate?

A strong positive correlation

A weak positive correlation

A strong negative correlation

A weak negative correlation