Which of the following is an example of correlational research?
A) A historian conducts an extensive study of the factors that led to the American defeat at Pearl Harbor in 1941.
B) A researcher tracks smokers and nonsmokers to see how many of them get lung cancer and if there are significant differences in lung cancer rates between the two groups.
C) A researcher interviews taxpayers to find out how strongly they would support a proposal for a "flat" tax.
D) A researcher randomly divides her participants into two groups, giving one group a powerful new medicine while the other group gets a placebo.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Correlational research involves examining the relationship between two variables, without manipulating or intervening in either. In this case, the researcher is tracking the relationship between smoking and lung cancer rates. The other options all involve some form of manipulation or intervention.

Which of the Following Is an Example of Correlational Research