Correlational study and how it differs from a cause-and-effect outcome.

 

 

 

It is important for you to able to analyze a correlational study and explain how it differs from a cause-and-effect outcome.

present your findings to your company or clinic staff, including CEOs (think about your audience).

Part A
Provide a response to the following prompts.

Imagine your research team has been tasked with finding the correlation of 2 variables from your scenario. The data below includes 4 research participants’ data for variable 1 (high scores mean better of variable 1) and data for variable 2 (high scores mean more of the variable). The scores are as follows:

  Person

Variable 1

Variable 2

  1

1

10

  2

1

8

  3

2

4

  4

4

-2

Describe the process your research team would go through by completing the following:

Create a scatter diagram of the scores.
Describe in words the general pattern of correlation, if any.
Figure the correlation coefficient.
Explain the logic of what you have done, writing as if you are speaking to someone who has never heard of correlation (but who does understand the mean, standard deviation, Z scores, and hypothesis testing).
Provide 3 logically possible directions of causality, indicating for each direction whether it is a reasonable explanation for the correlation based on the variables involved. Explain your answer.
Part B
Assume your research is complete and you have written your research article. Now it’s time to make a public presentation for your company/clinic.

Consider your audience and the language you will need to use to make this presentation clear for all participants.

Create a 10- to 12-slide Microsoft PowerPoint presentation (cover slides and references do not count in this number) using the information you gathered and submitted in Parts I and II.

Include the following in your presentation:

Describe the problem and provide some brief background information about the situation.
Explain the research hypothesis.
Describe your sample and your sampling method.
Explain the 4 steps of the research process you followed.
Define the critical value and the test statistic your analysis provided.
Include your scatterplot and correlation findings from Part A.
Provide the main finding of the study. What did you prove or fail to prove?
 

Sample Answer

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part A: Correlational Study Analysis

 

Good morning, everyone. Our research team has been tasked with exploring the relationship between two specific variables that are relevant to our work here at [Company/Clinic Name]. Before we dive into the data, let's understand what we mean by "correlation" and how it differs from a "cause-and-effect" outcome.

 

Understanding Correlation vs. Cause-and-Effect

 

Imagine we observe two things happening together. For instance, you notice that on days when more people bring umbrellas to work, it also tends to rain more. This is a correlation: the two things (umbrellas and rain) seem to be linked or move together. When one happens, the other often does too.

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