What are the two types of general research designs discussed in class?

What are the two types of general research designs discussed in class?

• A. Descriptive and exploratory.
• B. Cross-sectional and longitudinal.
• C. Correlational and experimental.
• D. Qualitative and quantitative.

Answer: (C)

When researchers think about studying development, they start from two broad kinds of study designs: correlational designs and experimental designs. In correlational studies, variables are observed as they occur in real life, and the goal is to see if they vary together—are they related? This shows relationships but cannot establish cause and effect because other unmeasured factors could influence both variables. In experimental designs, researchers manipulate one variable (the independent variable) and randomly assign participants to different conditions, while controlling other factors. This setup lets us determine causality—whether changing the manipulated variable leads to changes in the outcome. The other options describe timing (like measuring at one time vs over time), study purposes, or data types, but they don’t embody the broad distinction between observing relationships and testing cause-and-effect directly.

When researchers think about studying development, they start from two broad kinds of study designs: correlational designs and experimental designs. In correlational studies, variables are observed as they occur in real life, and the goal is to see if they vary together—are they related? This shows relationships but cannot establish cause and effect because other unmeasured factors could influence both variables. In experimental designs, researchers manipulate one variable (the independent variable) and randomly assign participants to different conditions, while controlling other factors. This setup lets us determine causality—whether changing the manipulated variable leads to changes in the outcome. The other options describe timing (like measuring at one time vs over time), study purposes, or data types, but they don’t embody the broad distinction between observing relationships and testing cause-and-effect directly.