Correlational Study: Design, Methods and Examples

Whether you are a beginner or an experienced researcher, chances are you’ve heard something about correlational research. It’s time that you learn more about this type of study more in-depth, since you will be using it a lot.

Grab your pen and get ready to jot down some notes as our paper writing service is going to cover all questions you may have about this type of study. Let’s get down to business! 

A correlational research is a preliminary type of study used to explore the connection between two variables. In this type of research, you won’t interfere with the variables. Instead of manipulating or adjusting them, researchers focus more on observation. 

Correlational study is a perfect option if you want to figure out if there is any link between variables. You will conduct it in 2 cases:

Correlational research is most useful for purposes of observation and prediction. Researcher's goal is to observe and measure variables to determine if any relationship exists. In case there is some association, researchers assess how strong it is. As an initial type of research, this method allows you to test and write the hypotheses. Correlational study doesn’t require much time and is rather cheap.

Correlational research designs are often used in psychology, epidemiology, medicine and nursing. They show the strength of correlation that exists between the variables within a population. For this reason, these studies are also known as ecological studies. 

Correlational research design methods are characterized by such traits:

Correlational research questions usually focus on how one variable related to another one. If there is some connection, you will observe how strong it is. Let’s look at several examples.

Depending on the direction and strength of association, there are 3 types of correlational research:

There are 3 main methods applied to collect data in correlational research:

It’s essential that you select the right study method. Otherwise, it won’t be possible to achieve accurate results and answer the research question correctly. Let’s have a closer look at each of these methods to make sure that you make the right choice.

Survey is an easy way to collect data about a population in a correlational study. Depending on the nature of the question, you can choose different survey variations. Questionnaires, polls and interviews are the three most popular formats used in a survey research study. To conduct an effective study, you should first identify the population and choose whether you want to run a survey online, via email or in person.

Naturalistic observation is another data collection approach in correlational research methodology. This method allows us to observe behavioral patterns in a natural setting. Scientists often document, describe or categorize data to get a clear picture about a group of people. During naturalistic observations, you may work with both qualitative and quantitative research information. Nevertheless, to measure the strength of association, you should analyze numeric data.

Members of a population shouldn’t know that they are being studied. Thus, you should blend in a target group as naturally as possible. Otherwise, participants may behave in a different way which may cause a statistical error. 

Sometimes, you may access ready-made data that suits your study. Archival data is a quick correlational research method that allows to obtain necessary details from the similar studies that have already been conducted. You won’t deal with data collection techniques, since most of numbers will be served on a silver platter. All you will be left to do is analyze them and draw a conclusion. Unfortunately, not all records are accurate, so you should rely only on credible sources.

Choosing what study to run can be difficult. But in this article, we are going to take an in-depth look at advantages and disadvantages of correlational research. This should help you decide whether this type of study is the best fit for you. Without any ado, let’s dive deep right in.

Obviously, one of the many advantages of correlational research is that it can be conducted when an experiment can’t be the case. Sometimes, it may be unethical to run an experimental study or you may have limited resources. This is exactly when ecological study can come in handy. 

This type of study also has several benefits that have an irreplaceable value:

If you decide to run an archival study or conduct a survey, you will be able to save much time and expenses.

There are several limitations of correlational research you should keep in mind while deciding on the main methodology. Here are the advantages one should consider:

As you can see, these types of studies aren’t end-all, be-all. They may indicate a direction for further research. Still, correlational studies don’t show a cause-and-effect relationship which is probably the biggest disadvantage. 

Now that you’ve come this far, let’s discuss correlational vs experimental research design. Both studies involve quantitative data. But the main difference lies in the aim of research. Correlational studies are used to identify an association which is measured with a coefficient, while an experiment is aimed at determining a causal relationship. 

Due to a different purpose, the studies also have different approaches to control over variables. In the first case, scientists can’t control or otherwise manipulate the variables in question. Meanwhile, experiments allow you to control variables without limit.

There is a causation vs correlation blog on our website. Find out their differences as it will be useful for your research.

Above, we have offered several correlational research examples. Let’s have a closer look at how things work using a more detailed example.

That’s pretty much everything you should know about correlational study. The key takeaway is that this type of study is used to measure the connection between 2 or more variables. It’s a good choice if you have no chance to run an experiment. However, in this case you won’t be able to control for extraneous variables. So you should consider your options carefully before conducting your own research.