In research, a pre-existing grouping variable is used as the independent variable.
Select one:
a. experimental
b. correlational
c. cross-sectional
d. longitudinal
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is b. correlational.
In research, when a pre-existing grouping variable is used as the independent variable, it suggests a correlational study design. In this type of study, researchers examine the relationship between two or more variables but do not manipulate the variables themselves. The independent variable, in this case, is not something the researcher controls but rather something that naturally exists in the participants’ characteristics or groupings. These could include factors such as age, gender, race, socioeconomic status, or any other grouping that participants already belong to before the study.
In correlational studies, the focus is on understanding the strength and direction of relationships between variables, rather than establishing cause and effect. This is why a pre-existing variable is often used as the independent variable since researchers are more interested in exploring associations between naturally occurring groups or characteristics.
For example, in a study investigating the relationship between smoking habits and lung cancer, the independent variable might be the smoking status (whether the participant is a smoker or non-smoker), which is a pre-existing grouping. Researchers would then examine how this grouping correlates with the occurrence of lung cancer, without directly manipulating the smoking status.
In contrast, experimental studies involve the manipulation of an independent variable to observe its effect on a dependent variable, making them different from correlational studies. Cross-sectional studies involve collecting data at one point in time, while longitudinal studies collect data over an extended period. While these designs can also use pre-existing groupings, the key factor distinguishing correlational studies is that they focus on relationships between variables without experimental manipulation.