In social science research as well as common parlance, a “correlation” is simply a statement that two things are related. If you see one, chances are that you will see the other. But that’s the extent of the information carried by the statement of correlation. A causal declaration, by contrast, communicates much more. A change in the state of one thing brings about (in full or in part) a change in the state of another. It carries with it claims about time order and the elimination of alternative explanations for the observed relationship. The student should provide an example that demonstrates this difference.
What will be an ideal response?
A spurious relationship arises because two things, such as viewing negative ads and voting, are both affected by some third factor and thus appear to be related. Once this additional factor has been identified and controlled, the original relationship weakens or disappears altogether.
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Which elastic phrase has become a significant source of presidential power?
A. "With the advice and consent of the Senate" B. "With all deliberate speed" C. The "full faith and credit" clause D. The "necessary and proper" clause E. "Take care that the laws be faithfully executed"
What effect has shrinking sound bites had on journalism?
a. It has given candidates more opportunities to share their ideas. b. It has enabled media conglomerations to limit the length political debates. c. It has resulted in more analysis and less reporting. d. It has forced the media to depend more on images than words.
Some observers of Texas politics argue that potential voters feel discouraged by perceived insulation of elected officials and believe that the real brokers of politics and public policy in Texas are __________
a. the governor and lieutenant governor b. legislators and bureaucrats c. the media and minorities d. interest groups and campaign donors
A change in the definition of ethnography to include a set of highly formal techniques designed to extract cognitive data is called _________________
A) new ethnography B) macroethnography C) microethnography D) ethnonursing research