Question 1: Define what a correlational study is in psychology.

Answer: A correlational study is a type of research that investigates the relationship between two or more variables without manipulating them, aiming to see if they are associated.

Question 2: Explain why researchers might choose a correlational study over an experimental study.

Answer: Researchers might choose a correlational study when it is unethical or impractical to manipulate variables, or when they want to observe naturally occurring relationships without interference.

Question 3: Describe the meaning of a positive correlation between two variables.

Answer: A positive correlation means that as one variable increases, the other variable tends to increase as well.

Question 4: Describe the meaning of a negative correlation between two variables.

Answer: A negative correlation means that as one variable increases, the other variable tends to decrease.

Question 5: List two limitations of correlational research.

Answer: Firstly, correlation does not imply causation; we cannot determine if one variable causes the other. Secondly, external factors might influence both variables, leading to a spurious correlation.

Question 6: A study finds a strong positive correlation between hours spent studying and exam scores. What can we conclude from this?

Answer: We can conclude that there is an association between studying hours and exam scores, but we cannot confirm that studying causes higher scores.

Question 7: Describe what a scatter diagram might look like for a negative correlation between two variables.

Answer: The scatter diagram would display points that slope downward from left to right, indicating that as one variable increases, the other decreases.

Question 8: Draw a simple scatter diagram illustrating a weak positive correlation between two variables.

Answer: A scatter diagram with points loosely clustered around an upward sloping line, showing a weak positive relationship between the variables.

Question 9: Explain why it is important to consider other variables when interpreting the results of a correlational study.

Answer: Because other variables (confounding variables) might influence the relationship observed, making it unclear whether the correlation is direct or affected by external factors.

Question 10: Suggest a real-life example where correlational research could be used to investigate a relationship between two variables.

Answer: An example could be studying the relationship between sleep duration and mood in teenagers.