A researcher aiming to demonstrate that stable, internal and global (self-blame) attributions for negative events cause depression must achieve a correlation of +0.50 or greater between measures of attribution and depression symptoms.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Correlation does not imply causation; thus, a correlation of +0.50 or greater between measures of attribution and depression symptoms would not demonstrate that such attributions cause depression, but rather that there is a relationship between the two variables. Demonstrating causation requires experimental or longitudinal studies that can control for other variables and establish a temporal sequence.

A Researcher Aiming to Demonstrate That Stable, Internal and Global