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Correct Answer: correlational design
the correct answer for the question about the type of research design that measures two or more variables to determine relationships is "correlational design." this design is particularly valuable in research settings where the goal is to identify whether and how variables are related without manipulating any of them.
in a correlational design, the researcher observes or measures two or more variables to assess the nature of the relationship between them. this type of research is non-experimental because it does not involve the manipulation of variables or the assignment of participants to different conditions, unlike experimental designs. instead, correlational studies simply observe existing variables in a natural setting and use statistical methods to analyze the relationship between them.
for instance, a researcher might use a correlational design to explore the relationship between students' study habits and their academic performance. by measuring both variables—study habits and academic performance—the researcher can analyze the data to determine if there is a positive correlation (where better study habits correlate with higher academic performance), a negative correlation (where better study habits correlate with lower academic performance), or no correlation at all.
it is crucial to note that correlational designs can only reveal relationships between variables; they cannot establish causation. this means that while a correlational study might show that two variables are related, it cannot prove that one variable causes a change in the other. for example, if a study finds a positive correlation between physical exercise and mental health, it cannot conclusively say that exercise improves mental health, as other factors might be at play.
overall, the correlational design is a widely used research method across various fields such as psychology, education, and social sciences due to its effectiveness in exploring relationships between variables when experimental manipulation is not possible or ethical.
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