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

Answer: A correlational study investigates the relationship between two or more variables to see if they are associated, without implying causation.

Question 2: Explain the difference between a positive and a negative correlation, providing an example of each.

Answer: A positive correlation occurs when two variables increase or decrease together, such as hours studied and exam scores. A negative correlation occurs when one variable increases while the other decreases, like stress levels and sleep duration.

Question 3: Identify whether the following scenario describes a positive or negative correlation: As exercise frequency increases, body fat percentage decreases.

Answer: Negative correlation.

Question 4: Describe one advantage and one limitation of correlational research.

Answer: Advantage: It can identify relationships between variables that are difficult or unethical to manipulate experimentally. Limitation: It cannot establish cause-and-effect relationships.

Question 5: In a study, psychologists find a strong positive correlation between time spent on social media and feelings of loneliness. What can they conclude?

Answer: They can conclude that there is an association between social media use and loneliness, but they cannot say that one causes the other.

Question 6: A researcher measures the height of students and their scores in a vocabulary test. The data shows a correlation coefficient of 0.75. What does this suggest?

Answer: It suggests a strong positive correlation between height and vocabulary scores, meaning taller students tend to have higher scores.

Question 7: What is a correlation coefficient, and what is its range?

Answer: A correlation coefficient is a numerical measure of the strength and direction of a relationship between two variables. Its range is from -1.0 to +1.0.

Question 8: Sketch a simple scatter diagram that shows a weak negative correlation between two variables. Label the axes and indicate the trend.

Answer: A scatter plot with points scattered loosely around a downward-sloping line, with axes labeled 'Variable A' and 'Variable B'.

Question 9: Explain why it is important to remember that correlation does not imply causation.

Answer: Because two variables can be related due to coincidence, a third variable, or other factors, not because one causes the other. Assuming causation from correlation can lead to incorrect conclusions.

Question 10: Describe how a psychologist might use correlational research to investigate the relationship between sleep and academic performance.

Answer: They could collect data on students’ average hours of sleep and their exam scores, then analyze whether there is a correlation between the two variables to see if sleep patterns are related to academic success.