Psychology Research Methods Imagine Studying Correlation Research.

Psychology Research Methods

Imagine studying correlation research. Is there a possibility that this measure can get used in an actual psychology study? What does a positive, negative or zero correlation mean? Can a relationship exist between two variables? One will study in depth correlation through much evaluation and research.

The correlational research method is appropriate when an individual wants to study two different variables to see if there is a link between them or not. These are used when one wants to predict the results as well as describe what could occur between the concepts involved for the study. For example, research was conducted by Mayer as well as in 2004. People were required to fill out questionnaires in hopes to determine if there is a correlation between nature and life satisfaction. As a result, a positive correlation was found, and the researchers determined that there was a correlation between nature and life satisfaction (Mayer & Frantz, 2004). Now it is important to give an instance of this particular study technique.

All the researchers used this method because they wanted to know if the variables of nature can encourage a person to have life satisfaction. When he or she is observing the outdoors and enjoying it, he or she can make the most out of the circumstance by taking advantage of the opportunity by means of fishing, swimming, hunting and so forth. This can become a motivator when taking pleasure in nature because of the prospect of spending time with animals, mammals and anyone or anything that is outdoors at that particular time. Through this, a person feels well-rounded because of feeling one with nature. They feel whole or complete through experiencing nature as if they were a part of it (Mayer & Frantz, 2004). This makes the experience worthwhile, and he or she may continue to take part in it on a regular basis because of how good one feels. Limitations are important to discuss as well when it comes to correlational research.

A person cannot determine the cause of the relationships. A correlation cannot always mean that something is caused. This is illogical because A cannot cause B; therefore, B does not cause A. They both go in different directions but one does not cause the other. One cannot cause the other to behave in the manner that it does at that particular time. An individual has to consider that there is a possible third variable involved that could cause the relationship, but a person has to consider that if one believes in this manner that the results are skewed. One more limitation is worth noting.

The generality with any correlation research is another limitation. This is because a specific number of people were studied. Furthermore, a person can look at to see if there is a relation between the two variables. One may have difficulty in finding out what is taking place if he or she uses general terminology and then uses it as a means in seeking to find out if there is a correlation. The importance of explaining a positive, negative and zero correlation is worth noting.

A positive correlation demonstrates that when one measure increases so does the other. When a negative correlation occurs, this is a decrease in one variable and the other. This makes them destructive. Furthermore, a zero correlation occurs when neither variable increases or decreases. Here are some examples worth mentioning from the chosen article for this manuscript. With this particular study, the CNS demonstrated a positive correlation with "ecological behavior, environmentalism, dispositional perspective taking and environmental perspective taking" (Mayer & Frantz, 2004). The numbers are as follows. r-.44, .37 and .50 (Mayer & Frantz, 2004). These are all positive, which do demonstrate a relationship between what one experiences when he or she is in the environment and how one behaves. With all of these variables with this study, the p

One needs to note that a correlations coefficient ranges from 0 to 1. Or -1 to 0. However, the best option is to have it in between -1 and +1 to determine the strength of the relationship when determining if a correlation exists. When a non-linear relationship occurs, a person will not see a relationship either negative or positive when drawing a regression line through the data from a scatter plot. For someone to see if the size and sign will increase or decrease as a result and a person can work around this issue in a couple of ways. He or she can choose to use a goodness of fit with the current data. The other option is having one variable split into a number of segments, and then an individual can do an analysis of variance to find a correlation. Floor and ceiling effects can make a difference when analyzing the data.

The floor and ceiling are worth noting when it comes to evaluating the necessary information in order to draw a conclusion from it. If any number reaches the minimum number, then a floor effect occurs. However, a ceiling effect occurs when something has reached the maximum number that is possible. These issues can make a significant correlation difficult to discover if there is a means to a correlation or not. A regression line would not occur because the data is so scattered. In fact, the correlation is hidden within the data.

One would have to consider ways in which to avoid these affects. An individual can steer clear of these affects by means of selecting specific dependent variables that make additional room that can make an impact across any condition provided with the experiment. In essence, more categories are needed in order for a person to see if a correlation does exist. Eventually, the researcher may or may not discover one, but the goal is to thoroughly analyze the data before making a decision first.

Correlations are important in any field. A person has to have multiple sets of data in order to see if something exists or not. For example, Mayer & Frantz (2004) learned that there is a correlation between nature and a satisfaction with life. For some reason people feel empowered and one with nature when out in the wild. They feel whole and complete. The p value was less than .01.

Someone has to consider what a positive, negative and zero correlation. This indicates whether or not they are increasing, decreasing or at a plateau. Furthermore, floor and ceiling effects can occur. They can range from the minimum value to the maximum. These are avoidable if a person adds additional segments to a given variable and then doing ANOVA to see if a regression is present with the data from the experiment.