Differentiate between a correlational study and an experimental study.

In contrast to qualitative designs, which are all basically non-experimental and descriptive, quantitative research designs may be either experimental or non-experimental. Within the non-experimental category, descriptive and correlational research are sub-categories.

Using the Ashford University Library databases, look for a scholarly/peer-reviewed quantitative research study on the topic you selected in Week 1. In your initial post,

• Appraise the differences between experimental and non-experimental research.
• Differentiate between a correlational study and an experimental study.
• State the hypothesis being tested in the selected quantitative research study.
• Identify the major variables and categorize them as independent or dependent.
• Describe the methods and results of the study.
• Determine whether the study is descriptive, correlational, or experimental, and explain why it fits this classification.

Document your sources in APA style (Links to an external site.)

week  1 topic is 

“The topic I will be focusing on for this week is Depression. The reason I have chosen this topic is that its something that many of my clients deals with every day, and also something I have gone through. I fell that if I know more about this subject, I will be more confident in helping my clients and also having a better understanding to why certain things happen to people and why they make those choices.

     The areas I feel this topic falls under are social psychology and cognitive psychology. The reason I feel these are the main areas is that many people I have dealt with have first been in a specific situation with other people that have caused them to feel down on themselves. These situations are related to physical abuse, mental abuse, and even family abuse. Next comes Cognitive psychology and that is possibly due to how a person takes in information. Sometimes I wonder if certain people take in feedback as a negative or as a degradation because they just do not know how to absorb it. This is something that I must also focus on because it could also be that the person going through depression may just not know how to do take feedback or maybe they have never been taught so to them everything told to them may just be an attack.”