Other approaches involve interactions between the researcher and the individuals who are being studied-ranging from a series of simple questions to extensive, in-depth interviews-to well-controlled experiments. Some methods rely on observational techniques. There are many research methods available to psychologists in their efforts to understand, describe, and explain behavior and the cognitive and biological processes that underlie it. Importantly, with correlational research, you can examine only two variables at a time, no more and no less. In correlational research, they identify patterns of relationships, but usually cannot infer what causes what. Here, psychologists do not intervene and change behavior, as they do in experiments. When scientists passively observe and measure phenomena it is called correlational research. Once data is collected from both groups, it is analyzed statistically to determine if there are meaningful differences between the groups. The researcher then measures the changes that are produced in the dependent variable in each group. Each group goes through all phases of the experiment, but each group will experience a different level of the independent variable: the experimental group is exposed to the experimental manipulation, and the control group is not exposed to the experimental manipulation. Experiments are conducted in order to determine cause-and-effect relationships. In ideal experimental design, the only difference between the experimental and control groups is whether participants are exposed to the experimental manipulation. Descriptive, or qualitative, methods include the case study, naturalistic observation, surveys, archival research, longitudinal research, and cross-sectional research. Psychologists use descriptive, experimental, and correlational methods to conduct research.
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