correlation

Examples of correlation in the following topics:

• Correlational Research

  • The attributes of correlations include strength and direction.
  • Direction refers to whether the correlation is positive or negative.
  • A correlation of 0 indicates no relationship between the variables.
  • It is extremely rare to find a perfect correlation between two variables, but the closer the correlation is to -1 or +1, the stronger the correlation is.
  • Always remember that correlation does not imply causation.

• Descriptive and Correlational Statistics

  • Descriptive and correlational statistics help interpret the relationship, or relatedness, between observable variables.
  • Research has shown that alcohol dependence correlates with depression.
  • Correlation does not necessarily prove causation.
  • A correlational study can only describe or predict behavior, but cannot explain the behavior.
  • As an example of a correlational study, research has shown that alcohol dependence correlates with depression.

• Neural Underpinnings of Consciousness

  • The neural correlates of consciousness (NCC) refer to the relationship between the experiences reported by subjects and the activity that simultaneously takes place in their brains.
  • While discovering and characterizing neural correlates cannot offer its own theory of consciousness, the data and findings may one day lead to such a discovery.
  • Scientists believe it may be the case that every phenomenal, subjective state has its own neural correlate.
  • Scientists are interested in locating which neural correlates lead to differing mental interpretations.
  • The study of neural correlates of consciousness seeks to link activity within the brain to subjective human experiences in the physical world.

• Descriptive Research

  • Often a researcher will begin with a non-experimental approach, such as a descriptive study, to gather more information about the topic before designing an experiment or correlational study to address a specific hypothesis.
  • Descriptive research is distinct from correlational research, in which psychologists formally test whether a relationship exists between two or more variables.
  • Experimental research goes a step further beyond descriptive and correlational research and randomly assigns people to different conditions, using hypothesis testing to make inferences about how these conditions affect behavior.
  • Correlational and experimental research both typically use hypothesis testing, whereas descriptive research does not.
  • Although case studies cannot be generalized to the overall population (as can experimental research), nor can they provide predictive power (as can correlational research), they can provide extensive information for the development of new hypotheses for future testing and provide information about a rare or otherwise difficult-to-study event or condition.

• Gene-Environment Correlations: Nature or Nurture?

  • Gene-environment correlations, known as rGE, can be explained in 3 particular ways—passive, evocative, or active.
  • In passive gene-environment correlation, an association exists between a person's genetic makeup and the environment in which he or she is raised.
  • Evocative gene-environment correlation happens when an individual's (heritable) behavior evokes an environmental response.
  • In active gene-environment correlation, the person's genetic makeup may lead them to select particular environments.

• Controversies in Intelligence and Standardized Testing

  • However, it is important to note that correlational studies only show a relationship between two factors: they give no indication about causation.
  • Again, even if intelligence scores correlate with job success, this does not mean that people with high intelligence will always be successful at work.
  • Researchers examined the correlation between the SAT exam and two other tests of intelligence and found a strong relationship between the results.
  • However, correlational studies provide information about a relationship, not about causation.
  • Using a standardized test like the SAT, which is designed to measure scholastic aptitude, as a measure of intelligence is outside the scope of the tests' intended usage, even if the two do correlate.

• Evaluating the Biological Perspective on Personality

  • This is primarily accomplished through correlating personality traits with scientific data from experimental methods such as brain imaging and molecular genetics .
  • In addition, the correlational studies used for measuring normal personality traits are subjected to the same rules as normal correlational research: they cannot be used alone to establish causation.
  • But the basic correlational data for normal traits is limited to only knowing that a relationship exists, and not the direction or cause of this relationship.

• Methods for Researching Human Development

  • Three research methods used include the experimental, correlational, and case study approach.
  • The correlational method explores the relationship between two or more events by gathering information about these variables without researcher intervention.
  • The advantage of using a correlational design is that it estimates the strength of a relationship among variables in the natural environment.
  • Regardless of whether studies employ the experimental, correlational, or case study methodology, they can use research designs or logical frameworks to make key comparisons within research studies.

• Cerebral Cortex

  • At times it has been theorized that brain size correlated positively with intelligence; it has also been suggested that surface area of cortex (basically, "wrinkliness" of the brain) rather than brain size that correlates most directly with intelligence.
  • Current research suggests that both of these may be at least partially true, but the degree to which they correlate is not clear.

• Nature vs. Nurture

  • Trait A shows a high sibling correlation but little heritability (illustrating the importance of environment).
  • Trait B shows a high heritability, since the correlation of the trait rises sharply with the degree of genetic similarity.
  • Trait C shows low heritability as well as low correlation generally, suggesting that the degree to which individuals display trait C has little to do with either genes or predictable environmental factors.
  • Typically, monozygotic twins will have a high correlation of sibling traits, while biological siblings will have less in common, and adoptive siblings will have less than that.