correlational
correlational — adjective
- correlationalpositive
- more correlationalcomparative
- most correlationalsuperlative
1. describes a type of study or analysis that looks for connections between two or
describes a type of study or analysis that looks for connections between two or more facts or measurements, without attempting to prove that one directly causes the other.
Professor Beatriz Okafor published a correlational study linking sleep hours to exam scores among teenagers.
attributive: correlational study
A correlational analysis of summer sales data showed that ice cream sales rise with temperature.
subject + passive: correlational analysis showed that...
Jin's research findings were purely correlational and did not prove which factor caused the change.
Imani's correlational data showed a link between screen time and poor sleep, not a direct cause.
The health team used a correlational approach to explore how TV time affects children's speech.
- associative
more technical and less common; used mainly in advanced statistics
- relational
broader meaning — can describe any kind of connection, not just statistical
- causal
describes a proven cause-and-effect relationship rather than a mere connection
- experimental
describes a research design where variables are actively controlled, not just observed
文法句型
correlational + noun
be + correlational
用法筆記
Commonly used in academic writing to describe a research method that identifies relationships between variables, distinct from an experimental design where the researcher controls the conditions.