Considerations in the use of causal-correlational technique in applied psychology.

Discusses the use of causal-correlational analyses in applied psychology (with reference to recent literature) in terms of weaknesses in the causal interpretation of such designs and the inappropriate use of raw difference scores in dynamic correlations. Examples of alternative interpretations of published data are presented to illustrate the ambiguities inherent in the strategy of discovering causal relationships in correlational data. Guidelines for the interpretation of causal-correlational analyses are discussed. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)