What are the key differences between an experiment and correlational study? Need to design a study using?

experimental design but in order to show how this is different from a correlational study..





Think c.s is where it is often not possible to do conventional study - such as link between smoking respitory diseases but was not sure how to design a study, using experimental design which tested for people's fears about certain animals without potentially contravening bps guidelines..





Just stuck - any help much appreciated.

What are the key differences between an experiment and correlational study? Need to design a study using?
I'm not an expert in this area, but it seems to me you are on the right track.





For instance, a correlational study might look at variables that cannot be manipulated for the purposes of the study. For instance, is height correlated with how much people earn? Or, is intelligence correlated with marital happiness? You would be giving subjects tests and surveys to answer these questions, but could not manipulate the variables. In addition, I don't think that there is a "control group" for comparison purposes.





On the other hand, an experimental study involves comparing two groups - and manipulating the variables. For instance, let's say the question is, "Does caffeine improve test performance?"


Group 1 would have your subjects come to the lab and take some kind of test, making sure that they had had no caffeine within the last 24 hours, or some such scenario.


Group 2 would have the same group of subjects come to the lab, drink a cup of coffee (or something) 20 minutes before taking a similar version of the first test (so there are no practice effects), and then comparing Group 1 and Group 2's scores to see if there was any significant difference.





Something like that.