Q:

Which of the following is the biggest limitation of correlational research? a. While correlations allow researchers to describe relationships between two variables, they do not explain the relationship. b. Its results can only be applied to one subject at a time. c. No relationship between variables is ever consistent, so findings cannot be applied to the real world. d. The manipulation of a correlational variable requires an ABAB design, which is not always practical

Accepted Solution

A:
Answer:The best answer to the question: Which of the following is the biggest limitation of a correlational research study, would be, A: While correlations allow researchers to describe relationships between two variables, they do not explain the relationship.Step-by-step explanation:The purpose of correlational studies, especially in fields like psychology, is to establish the level of relationship between variables that want to be observed. The result of these studies can be: positive correlation, negative correlation, or no correlation at all, between the variables. Usually this type of study is used to gather preliminary information on a desired research topic, to see if there would be relation between variables to study, or not at all, and from there other methodologies would be used to establish a cause-and-effect relation. However, these correlational studies have some drawbacks to them, one of them being that while through them researchers can establish the connection between two variables, they cannot establish a cause-and-effect connection, meaning they cannot explain the actual relationship between the variables. They can gather the variables are connected, but not that one leads to the other.