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Powerpoint 15-16 03 - Correlations and Desc Intro

Correlation is an observation that two traits are related to each other. Positive and negative correlations go in the SAME direction; negative and positive correlations go in opposite directions. The strength of relationships are measured using a correlation coefficient.

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69 views62 pages

Powerpoint 15-16 03 - Correlations and Desc Intro

Correlation is an observation that two traits are related to each other. Positive and negative correlations go in the SAME direction; negative and positive correlations go in opposite directions. The strength of relationships are measured using a correlation coefficient.

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Non-experimental types of

research.

Correlational Research
Detects how well one variable predicts, not causes
another variable.
Does NOT say that one variable causes another.
There is a positive
correlation between
income and years of
education.
Does that mean that
having a higher income
means you will have
more education, or do
people with more
education have higher
incomes?

Correlation
Definition: an observation that two
traits are related to each other
Studies show that there is a strong
correlation between how many books
are present in a childs home and
college completion rate.
Do the books cause a person to

complete college?

If self-esteem correlates with


depression,
there are still numerous possible causal links:

Types of Correlation

Positive Correlation
The variables go in
the SAME direction.

Negative Correlation
The variables go in
opposite directions.

Studying
and grades
hopefully
has a
positive
correlation.
Heroin use and
grades
probably has a
negative
correlation.

If we find a
correlation, what
conclusions can we
draw from it?
Lets say we find the
following result:
there is a positive
correlation between two
variables,
ice cream sales, and
rates of violent crime
How do we explain this?

The strength of relationships


are measured using a
correlation coefficient.
The correlation coefficient is a
number representing the strength and
direction of correlation.
Range is from -1 to +1
The relationship gets weaker the
closer you get to zero.

What is a Correlation Coefficient

Perfect
positive
correlation

No
relationship,
no correlation

Perfect
negative
correlation

The strength of
the relationship

refers to how close


the dots are to a
straight line, which
means one variable
changes exactly as
the other one does.

Which correlation coefficient has the


strongest relationship? The
weakest?

A. .79
B. -.88
C. .09
D. 3.6
E. -.05

B has the strongest.


E has the weakest
D. is invalid

Which is a stronger
correlation?
-.13 or +.38
-.72 or +.59
-.91 or +.04

Correlation does not equal


Causation!
People who floss
more regularly
have less risk of
heart disease.

If this data is
from a survey, can
we conclude that
flossing might
prevent heart
disease? Or that
people with hearthealthy habits also
floss regularly?

People with
bigger feet tend
to be taller.

Does that mean


having bigger feet
causes height?

Illusory Correlation
Instructions
You will see a series of statements, each
describing a person performing some type
of behavior.
Each person belongs to either Group A or
Group B.
After all statements have been presented,
you will respond with your impressions.

John visited a friend in


the hospital.

Allen dented the


fender of a parked car
and didnt leave his
name.

Bill is rarely late for


work.

Bob helped a child.

Tom shared his lunch


with a co-worker.

Scott cheated on an
exam.

Alan planted seedlings


in a park.

Henry went out of his


way to return a lost
wallet to the owner.

Nathan took
neighborhood kids
swimming.

John is considered a
very dependable coworker.

Chad always talks


about himself and his
problems.

Josh finished his


homework on time.

Lane is well-like by
his colleagues.

Davis read a story to


his daughter.

Ron made prank


phone calls to his
teacher.

Bruce never returns


library books on time.

Ken helped a lost child


in a supermarket.

David converses easily


with people he doesnt
know well.

Fred gave blood to the


Red Cross.

Alex kicked a dog.

Devin donated his


clothes to charity.

Mark learned how to


fly an airplane.

Gary earned an A on
his research paper.

Ted ran a red light.

Jeff volunteered to
tutor needy students.

Richard yelled at a
boy who bumped into
him.

Eric drove his elderly


neighbor to the
grocery store.

Vincent forgot about


his job interview.

Keith organized a
birthday party for a
friend.

Colin works out to


keep himself in good
shape.

Robert talks with food


in his mouth.

Scott received a
promotion at work.

Norman often tailgates


when he is driving

Eliot sings in the


church choir.

William rarely washes


his car.

Pete is recognized as
an excellent musician.

Don took a hurt stray


dog to the vet.

Roger repaired his


neighbors
lawnmower.

Craig helped a friend


move.

Done!

Group Ratings
Your next task is to rate each of the groups.
Use the scale below:
1: Strongly Disagree
7: Strongly Agree

You should use intermediate values as well as


these two extremes.
How would you characterize group A? Group B?

Debriefing
Group A (n = 26
members)

Group B (n = 13
members)

18 positive
statements
8 negative
statements

9 positive
statements
4 negative
statements

9:4 ratio of
positive to negative
statements

9:4 ratio of
positive to negative
statements

Debriefing
The ratio of positive and negative
events was exactly the same for
Group A and Group B!
Did we rate the Groups the way we
should have?
Are our ratings of the Groups exactly
equal?

Illusory Correlation
This demonstration illustrates an
Illusory Correlation the perception
of a relationship where none exists,
or perception of a stronger
relationship than actually exists.
Another way to think of it a false
impression that two variables
correlate.

Illusory Correlation
The joint occurrence of two
distinctive events (minority member
Group B & distinctive event - negative
behavior) probably attracted more
attention and caused faulty
impressions.

Illusory Correlation
Examples:
You believe that people in urban environments tend
to be rude. Therefore, when you meet someone who
is rude you assume that the person lives in a city.
A woman believes that pit bulls are inherently
dangerous. When she hears of a dog attack in the
news, she assumes it is a pit bull that attacked.
A student does well on a test when he uses his blue
pencil. For all future tests he uses only his blue
pencil.
You catch a lot of fish off of one dock, you feel
that there are more fish there than anywhere else
on the lake.

Illusory Correlation
How could Illusory correlation be one
reason individuals become
prejudiced?
Research has shown that White
Americans overestimate the arrest
rate of African Americans (Hamilton
& Sherman, 1996).
African Americans = minority
Arrest Rate = distinctive event

What is going on in this picture?

We cannot say exactly, but we


can describe what we see.
Thus we have..

Descriptive Research

a systematic, objective observation of people.

Any research that observes and records.


Does not talk about relationships, it just
seeks to describe thoughts, behaviors, and
attributes.

Research goal and strategy:


description
Descriptive
research is a
systematic,
objective
observation of
people.
The goal is to
provide a
clear, accurate
picture of
peoples
behaviors,
thoughts, and
attributes.

Strategies for gathering this


information:
Case Study: observing and
gathering information to
compile an in-depth study of
one individual
Naturalistic Observation:
gathering data about
behavior; watching but not
intervening
Surveys and Interviews:
having other people report
on their own attitudes and
behavior

Case Study
Examining one individual
or group in depth
Benefit: can be a source

of ideas about human


nature in general.
Example: cases of brain
damage have suggested
the function of different
parts of the brain (e.g.
Clive Wearing)

Danger:

overgeneralization from
one example; the
Kardashians are a family
from the United States,
so I guess that is what it
is like in the US!

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