Correlation Resources: SPSS, R, Causality, Interpretation, and APA Style Reporting

This post provides links to a range of resources related to the use and interpretation of correlations. I wanted to provide a page with links to a number of additional resources that would be useful both for those of my students who might be keen to learn more and for anyone else who might be interested. Specifically, this post provides links to: (a) introductory book-style chapters on correlation, (b) resources related to assorted issues in correlation (i.e., discussion of causal inference, correlation with various variable types, range restriction, statistical power, correlation interpretation, and significance testing), (c) tutorials on computing correlations using SPSS and R, and (d) tips for reporting correlations in APA Style.

Causal Inference from Aggregate Data: The Facebook Syphilis Case Study

The Age has an article on the reported connection between using Facebook and Syphilis that is doing the rounds on the Internet. While the idea that Facebook is facilitating social connections seems plausible. And while Facebook may play a role in facilitating risky sexual encounters, the evidence offered (at least that presented in the news reports) for the connection is poor, and provides a good case study in how NOT to reason from data.

How to Reason about Causes in Psychology | When does Correlation Co-occur with Causation?

This post is on causal inference. Errors in causal inference in the social and behavioural sciences are prevalent both in the scientific literature and in the media. This post (a) suggests articles on causality to read, particularly for researchers in psychology; (b) discusses and critiques material on the Internet on causality; and (c) provides further links to material on causality.

Spanking Lowers Child IQ | Correlation is not Causation

As I was waiting for a coffee this morning, I had a cursory glance at the paper and found The Herald Sun reporting on a study stating that:

"A SPANK on the bottom, long used by parents to discipline a naughty child, could cause more than tears... It's now thought the age-old disciplinary method may also lower a child's IQ, with those spanked up to three times a week having a lower IQ due to psychological stress."

Causality and Mediation Analysis

This post discusses issues with causal inference in mediation analysis. It proposes a set of steps that researchers can use when analysing and reporting mediation analyses.

Getting Started with Mediation and Moderation: SPSS and R Resources

The following post sets out resources for getting started with mediation and moderation analysis.