When conducting research to answer a question or learn about a concept or phenomenon, observations about the characteristics or behaviors of a sample are often used to help researchers learn about a larger population. Statistics allow us to examine relationships between variables in the sample as a group, eliminating the need to consider each participant’s characteristics individually. This week, it was presented that researchers use a correlational design when they examine relationships between variables without actively manipulating any variables. Conversely, an experimental design is used when researchers manipulate a variable to see how another variable changes as a result. This Discussion will allow you to practice your understanding of samples, populations, variables, and relationships by applying the concepts to an article of your choice from the Walden Library. Be sure to watch this week’s instructional video in the introduction or Learning Resources folder before composing your Discussion response. Use the Walden Library to find a journal article that uses a sample to represent a larger population. You can use the library tutorial in this week’s Learning Resources folder to guide you.

By Day 3
Post a response to the following. Note: Be sure to fully explain your rationale for each of your answers and support your ideas with evidence from the text and Learning Resources. Provide an APA reference list.

A brief (3- to 5-sentence) description of the article you found.
What sample was used in this study?
What population does this sample best represent?
What are the main variables in the study?
What relationship(s) among variables are researchers investigating?
Does this study use a correlational research design or an experimental research design?