Are you a psychology student who will conduct correlational research but has no idea where to apply it? Correlational study designs can be easy to make; however, the real challenge is their application on humans and in society. This common nonexperimental research method in social sciences helps students to learn about the relationship between variables.
The American Psychology Association states that a researcher simply observes variables in a study without manipulating them, meaning they will have no control over them. This research method does not manipulate variables to detect cause and effect. Depending on their nature, the relationship between variables can be positive, negative, or zero.
Correlational studies simply explain the relationship phenomenon, yet they have great significance in psychology. They help students and professionals understand human behaviour and the mind.
In this article, we will discuss all the scenarios where correlation studies can be applied and their importance in our daily lives.
List of Top 5 Real-world Applications of Correlational Research in Psychology
Don’t consider correlation research designs a straightforward way to find the relationship between two variables. These studies can help healthcare professionals develop new strategies and treatments for humans based on the outcome of the relationship. Conducting these investigations isn’t a fingertip task, as the name suggests. You may need weeks and professional guidance to conduct flawless research.
These studies become even more difficult for students when they are busy with writing projects, such as assignments, research articles, and theses. In such scenarios, contacting dissertation writing services in the UK can help them ease their workload, enabling them to complete their research head-on.
Here are some scenarios where these studies can be applied for further development and understanding.
1. Mental Health and Sleep
Psychologists and researchers have been detecting the relationship between mental health and sleep for years. Everyone knows sleep is a must for our physical and psychological health, yet millions of people struggle to get a comfortable sleep. Correlational research studies have repeatedly shown that there is a strong link between sleeping issues and poor mental health. According to the Psychiatry Department of Columbia University, poor sleep makes it difficult for people to cope with stress and regulate emotions. Correlational studies determine whether the relationship between sleep and mental health is positive or negative.
Before discussing this further, we need to understand positive, negative, and zero correlation.
- Positive Correlation: In this type of relationship between sleep and mental health, researchers or students find out whether comfortable sleep enhances our psychological well-being. It means that if a variable is increasing, the other one will also increase.
- Negative Correlation: Here, researchers detect the negative relationship between sleep and mental well-being, meaning poor sleep will not affect you in any way.
- Zero Correlation: There will be no relationship between sleeping habits and mental health.
However, studies find that sleep and mental health are strongly correlated with each other. They allowed healthcare professionals and psychologists to develop tools, such as cognitive behavioural therapy. Using these tools, professionals empower patients struggling with sleeping problems.
The great impact of correlation research methods allows researchers to continuously conduct such studies among various groups of individuals to better understand the relationship. Based on these outcomes, they develop tools and strategies that let individuals get adequate sleep and enhance their mental well-being.
2. Social Media Use and Self-esteem
The goal of correlational research is to find the relationship between social media usage and self-esteem. Researchers regularly conduct studies to detect whether the use leads to lower self-esteem. It allows researchers to know how students and people spend time on social media and whether they face symptoms related to lower self-esteem.
The Australian Christian College says that people who use social media excessively may have lower self-esteem. When using numerous social apps, such as Facebook and TikTok, you will go through a lot of written, pictorial, and video content. Unintentionally, it affects you, and you start comparing yourself to others.
You probably will not have what others are employing, such as luxurious cars, expensive homes, and branded clothing. Watching such things will affect your self-esteem and disturb your emotional well-being, leading to dissatisfaction. These are some core findings from previously conducted correlational studies urging people to regulate the use of social media.
Here are a few reasons why you should not be impressed by others on social media apps:
- Not everything you watch or read on social media is real.
- You will see a lot of people showing their branded cars and expensive homes. Don’t be stressed if you don’t have such luxuries. You don’t know how hard they struggled to achieve that. Instead of getting impressed or depressed, you can make a promise with yourself to achieve them within a timeframe.
- Allocate a specific time for every social media app, and don’t use it other than that time. The addiction to these apps is quick and severe, making it difficult for you to overcome later.
3. Academic Performance and Stress
Correlation research also involves gathering data on academic performance and stress. This is a favourite subject among researchers to know why some students fail to perform as exceptionally as others do. To understand this phenomenon, they regularly conduct studies to learn what affects the academic performance of a student. A whole lot of studies have found that students who experience stress are at a great risk of facing poor academic performance.
Due to stress, they are unable to pay attention while taking notes during class or answering questions in exams. This leads to poor academic performance, affecting the overall well-being of students. Based on these outcomes of correlation studies, universities and colleges are now designing specific courses and arranging workshops for such students experiencing stress.
Students get targeted support through these workshops, enhancing their academic performance. Please remember that the relationship between academic performance and stress will not always necessarily be causal. However, recognising correlation can help instructors and educational institutes to pay close attention to those students going through depression or stress.
4. Mood Enhancement and Exercise
Did you ever feel better after hitting the gym? Or did your satisfactory feelings increase after a long walk? You are not alone. Correlation research has been testing this relationship for years. Psychologists and researchers have conducted these studies on various age groups, from young adults to older people. However, conducting a correlational study to find a link between such variables is always an uphill task.
Correlational research questions can become a nightmare for students, especially when they are novices to research and working on their academic tasks, such as writing argumentative essays and completing their thesis. Without appropriate guidance, it will be challenging for them to design research questions and adopt other ways to find the relationship between mood enhancement and exercise.
These are some ways that you can follow to design correlational research questions:
- Always ask your supervisor or instructor to guide you on making questions for data collection. If there is no guidance, the likelihood of adding experimental or qualitative questions will be higher.
- You can go through previously published articles on the same topic to learn about the method researchers utilised for data collection. There are numerous research journals of psychology and online education resources that you can visit to get free access to these articles.
- Narrow down the questions that are most relevant to your audience. For instance, if previous researchers used a set of questions to know the effects of exercise in older people, don’t utilise this questionnaire if you are going to conduct a study on young adults.
5. Parenting Style and Child Behaviour
Parent style and child behaviour are famous among correlational research professionals. They study the nature of parenting style and its effect on children. Usually, psychology professionals and students tend to find the impacts of authoritative parenting and authoritarian parenting. They may sound similar; however, there is a fundamental difference between these two concepts.
Here is a brief explanation for your understanding:
- Authoritative Parenting: In this style, parents have high warmth and high control over their children, leading to better self-esteem and academic performance.
- Authoritarian Parenting: According to an article published in ScienceDirect, parents have high control and low warmth for their children. This parenting style may lead to anxiety in children, affecting their academic grades and their health in the worst case.
Based on the outcome of these correlational studies, educational institutes and psychologists encourage parents to change their parenting approaches for the better performance of their children. As a psychology student or research professional, it’s your duty to conduct flawless correlation research so that parents adapt their attitudes toward their children accordingly. Healthier child development is heavily dependent on these studies; therefore, always adapt your approach to data collection for effective suggestions for parents.
What Is Correlational Research in Psychology?
Correlation research in psychology is a non-experimental study method in which a researcher has no control over variables, meaning that they can’t manipulate them. In this method, a student or research professional is only able to find the statistical relationship between variables.
There will be no measurement of the cause and effect, reducing the involvement of extraneous variables to zero levels. In this type of study in psychology, a student can measure positive, negative, or zero correlation between variables, such as exercise and satisfactory feelings.
What Are Three Important Types of Correlational Research?
The three important types of correlation research are naturalistic observation, survey research, and archival research. Researchers and psychologists adopt these methods based on the nature of the study.
Here is a brief description of every type:
- Naturalistic Observation: You will observe the attitudes or behaviours of people without manipulating the natural setting. For instance, children are playing in the garden, and you are observing them while sitting on a bench.
- Survey Research: You design a questionnaire and distribute it among the targeted group. A researcher can also ask these questions in an interview.
- Archival Research: A student will utilise the existing data to detect the relationship between two variables.
What are the Difference Between Experimental Research and Correlational Research?
The major purpose of experimental research is to find the causality between two variables. Let’s say these are the variables: sleeping pattern and mental well-being. Experimental research will find out why sleeping hygiene is associated with enhanced psychological well-being.
On the other hand, a correlation study will only find out if a relationship exists between sleeping habits and mental health. Psychologists and researchers can use both methods according to the requirements of their educational institutes or research journals.
What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Correlational Research?
The advantages of correlation research include cost-effectiveness and easy implementation. You can find out the link between two variables of any nature without breaking the bank. However, there are certain limitations associated with correlation studies.
For instance, you can’t measure the cause and effect relationship between two variables, such as stress and academic performance. Based on these advantages and disadvantages, you can choose this study method to complete your psychology degree and start your professional journey head-on.
Last Words
Correlational research has great importance in psychology, enabling healthcare professionals to design new tools. This research comprehensively explains the statistical relationship between two variables to pave the way for further studies. However, you will not be able to conduct a correlation study without making a flawless questionnaire.
Creating this questionnaire requires a thorough literature review and consultation with field experts, demanding weeks of dedicated effort. Due to the time-intensive nature of correlational research, it may be difficult for students to balance other academic responsibilities alongside it. Hiring first-class dissertation writing agencies can provide cost-effective support, helping you complete your research and write your papers on time. Partner with a trusted service to stay on track and earn your degree without unnecessary delays!
Author Bio
Alex Watson has a PhD in psychology and has been a dedicated dissertation writer for seven years. With a strong interest in academic writing, Alex focuses on curating dissertations according to guidelines set by various referencing styles, including APA and Chicago. Alex is always a call away from students!