A research design that examines relationships between naturally occurring variables without manipulation is called:

• A. Correlational study
• B. Experimental study
• C. Case study
• D. Quasi-experimental study

Answer: (A)

Studying how two or more variables relate to each other without changing them is correlational research. It involves measuring variables as they occur in real life and looking for associations—the direction (positive or negative) and the strength of the relationship. Because nothing is manipulated or randomly assigned, you can’t conclude that one variable causes changes in another; there may be third variables or other influences at play.

This fits the description because there is no intervention or manipulation of variables. In contrast, experimental studies deliberately manipulate an independent variable and control conditions with random assignment, aiming to infer causation. Quasi-experimental designs involve some manipulation but lack random assignment, which weakens causal claims. Case studies focus on an in-depth look at a single case or a small number of cases and are descriptive rather than about testing relationships across a larger group.