Correlation is one of the two main ways to carry out a study. The other is testing.

Experimentation is usually preferred because the experimenter can manipulate the interest

variable and measure the result directly. Either conceptual observation or archival data can be

used to produce the data collected from a correlation research project. Because in real-life

situations a correlation research study occurs, the data collected from this study is generally

more relevant to everyday meetings.

Strength of correlation research & downside

Ionica Smeets is a mathematician and science journalist with plenty of media experience. Using

her vast knowledge and enthusiasm, she can explain everything about her favorite topics in

science and statistics. In his TED Talk on the topic of dangers of mixing up causality and

correlation she explained specific correlation research examples which shows that there are no

linear dependencies on any variable in any research. There are many underlying factors for any

particular event to happen. In the first example she mentioned the hypothesis that ice cream is

the possible cause of drowning of people in swimming pool. To this statement she explained the

fact that ice creams and visits on swimming pool mostly occur on a good weather day. Both of

these variables are not linked directly, and this is one of the major problems with correlation

research.

In another example, she mentioned another fact that married men live longer than individual

men. She further added that that you see that this really happens when you look at the statistics.

The fact was, that people who are healthy, wealthy, well-trained and have a significantly higher

life expectancy are the men who will find a wife more likely – women are so and the guys who

are very low in mortality rate so they are unhealthy, poor and not so likely to get married. She
demonstrated the cause behind absurd proposition. It's therefore the long life span, never the

other way around, that causes marriage.

Strengths & Weaknesses of Correlation Research

Correlation research enables researchers to collect much more information than

experimentation. Moreover, as correlational research is usually conducted outside the

laboratory, the results tend to be more relevant to daily life. A further benefit of correlation

research is that it provides many other scholars with further research. If a correlation research

study begins to examine certain links or occurrences to see if links exist, the variables are an

excellent starting point for the review. Nevertheless, Correlation studies usually only unveil a

relationship and can not explain why a relationship exists. The variable that affects others does

not reveal a correlative finding. Although the advantages of a correlation research study can be

enormous, it can also take time to achieve an outcome. Direct interactions or the observation of

the variables involved will only allow data to be collected. There is no assurance that the

correlational survey will continue to have additional influences.

Conclusion
The field of psychology contains most correlational research studies. It is considered as a

preliminary way to collect information on a particular topic or situation in which experiments are

not possible for some reason. Although two variables are typically examined in order to establish

if there is a coefficient, in some relationships they can also see more. This method of analysis

may be problematic at times, therefore the variables are not under the researchers' control

themselves. It is also why the survey of specific data points can be a popular way. It is important

to keep in mind that the correlation does not involve cause. Although exploratory study can not

prove cause, with a lot of well collected and analysed data, it usually strongly supports a causal
hypothesis. The phrase "correlation does not imply the cause" refers in statistics to the inability,

solely on the basis of the strong correlation or similarity between these two variables, to

justifiably deduce a causal and effect relationship.