An occupational psychologist investigated the relationship between the weekly hours spent in face-to-face meetings and self-reported creative productivity in a sample of graphic designers.
The researcher obtained an opportunity sample of 10 graphic designers, aged 22 to 35 years, working at a large digital media agency. Each designer provided self-report data about the number of hours they spent in scheduled face-to-face meetings over a period of one week. Designers were asked to exclude any brief, informal, or unscheduled interactions.
Each designer also completed a standardized Creative Productivity Assessment which provided a Creative Output Index score. The index was scored out of 100, where a low score indicated poor creative output and a high score indicated highly creative and prolific output.
The raw data collected in the study are shown in Table 1 below.
Table 1 The weekly hours spent in face-to-face meetings and the Creative Output Index scores of 10 graphic designers
| Designer | Weekly hours spent in face-to-face meetings | Creative Output Index score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | 38 |
| 2 | 28 | 22 |
| 3 | 5 | 88 |
| 4 | 32 | 12 |
| 5 | 30 | 18 |
| 6 | 10 | 76 |
| 7 | 2 | 95 |
| 8 | 15 | 52 |
| 9 | 18 | 45 |
| 10 | 12 | 64 |
Using your knowledge of research methods, explain why it would be inappropriate for the psychologist to conclude that spending more time in face-to-face meetings causes poorer creative output.
19 exam-style questions on AQA A Level Psychology Correlations. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.