SHORT ANSWER

• What is experimental research, what is correlational research, and how do they differ?
  • Experimental research involves random assignment and manipulation of independent variable(s).
  • Experimental research can be used to determine causation.
  • Correlational research involves calculation of the relationship between two variables as measured by the coefficient of correlation.
  • Correlational research cannot be used to determine causation.
• What factors can cause the attenuation of a correlation?
  • A correlation can be attenuated by either measurement error or multiple determination.
    • Measurement error means that our measures are not perfectly reliable or valid.
    • Multiple determination means that a score on one variable may not be solely due to a score on a second variable. For example, anxiety may be correlated with school performance, but school performance is also affected by motivation and intelligence.
• What is the meaning of a trait of personality?
• What is the lexical hypothesis, and how is it relevant to personality psychology?

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