What occurs to you while thinking of a research paper in psychology? We imagine in-depth interviews, surveys, and experiments. These research methods open up the mind of a particular person or a group of people. However, nowadays, psychology has shifted away from employing manual analysis techniques to establishing the fundamental patterns of human behavior. How so? Researchers use data analysis, statistics, and mathematical modeling. Thus, the correlational study is the most understandable and illustrative method.
This article features more than five hundred examples of correlational research topics in psychology for college students. You will learn the basics and primary purposes of this method.
Table of Contents
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🧠 Top 15 Correlational Research Topics in Psychology
- Do our actions define our personality?
- Stress and motivation: Can they coexist?
- How does parents’ IQ level relate to their children’s IQ?
- Which behavioral patterns are the most frequent in children with ASD?
- Success in studies Vs. Career success.
- What role does self-awareness play in changing unhealthy behavior?
- How has the world pandemic changed the stress levels of the population?
- Results of early treatment of mental health.
- Does yoga contribute to stress resilience?
- Social media addiction in young people hurts their college grades.
- Archival research: How often does bullying cause suicidal thoughts?
- Do anti-discrimination education lower children’s abilities to categorize other people?
- Sexual abuse experience and depression probability.
- Are hate crimes more frequent in highly religious societies?
- A laugh can enhance cognitive skills.
📄 Correlational Research in Psychology: the Basics
A correlation study can end in three possible ways that researchers illustrate in a correlation coefficient:
- A Positive correlation happens when both variables simultaneously grow or fall. The coefficient is about +1.00.
- A negative correlation occurs when one variable grows and the other drops. The coefficient is about -1.00.
- A zero correlation happens when there is no relationship between variables. The coefficient is close to 0.
The visual representation of a correlation is called a scatter diagram or scatter chart.
There are three methods for you to perform correlational research in psychology.
We will help you find the most suitable correlational research topic in psychology. Depending on your purposes and methods, the same topics can be used as quantitative research topics.
😞 Correlational Topics on Anxiety, Stress, & Depression
- The rise of depression among college students.
- The impact of Covid-19 on anxiety and depression.
- Post-traumatic stress disorder after Covid-19.
- Recognizing depression in the early stage.
- Importance of stress management at college.
- Ways to overcome anxiety during a lockdown.
- The difference between anxiety and depression.
- Mindfulness as a tool to manage stress and anxiety.
- Anxiety effect on young adults and their academic performance.
- Effects of post-traumatic stress on the body.
- Anxiety and its effects on teenagers’ self-esteem.
- The rise of social anxiety disorder after Covid-19.
- Depression in adolescents and its contribution to teenage suicides.
- Positive thinking as a treatment for depression.
- Prevention of anxiety and emotional burnout on campus.
- Reasons and effects of depression on young females.
- The effects of perfectionism on anxiety and stress.
- Comparison of stress rates among teenagers and adults.
- Hypnotherapy as a treatment for stress and anxiety.
- Financial stress and its impact on high school and college students.
- Ways to help someone with depression or anxiety.
- Anxiety and stress as the distractors of an athlete’s attention.
- Stress as the reason for the lack of energy among teenagers.
- Ways to treat depression after sexual assault.
- Coping with stress and anxiety by yourself.
- The main causes of students’ emotional burnout.
- The new sources of stress and anxiety in modern society.
- The positive effects of blogging about anxiety and depression.
- Influence of procrastination on academic performance and stress.
- The importance of mental health awareness on campus.
- Coping styles and mechanisms among teenagers.
- Substance use as a form of coping with stress and anxiety.
- Study-life balance as prevention for depression.
- How media creates social anxiety in younger generations?
- Depression as a growing global problem.
- Types of anxiety medication and its effects on teenagers.
- The social effects of generalized anxiety on students.
- The factors that cause depression stigmatization in society.
- The stress of college students with financial debt.
- Importance of self-care for stress management.
🤤 Correlational Research Topics on Addictions & Eating Disorders
- The impacts of social media on eating disorders.
- The relation between drug addiction and crimes among college students.
- Social media addiction among teenagers and its impact.
- The genetic risk factors in eating disorders.
- Hidden impacts of alcohol abuse among young adults.
- The prevention and treatment of anorexia in teenage girls.
- Stereotypes around eating disorders.
- The impact of patriarchal values on the rise of eating disorders.
- Food addiction among teenagers and possible treatment.
- The rise of marijuana consumption among young adults.
- The effects of substance abuse on mental health.
- Understanding the emotional connections teenagers have with food.
- Health risks among teenagers dealing with eating disorders.
- Effects of video game addiction on a teenager’s mental health.
- Eating disorders from a perspective of developmental psychology.
- The influence of family and culture on teenagers with bulimia.
- The effects of smoking cigarettes and vaping on mental health.
- Cell phone addiction as a global problem.
- Effects of parental alcoholism on teenagers.
- The analysis of anti-smoking policies in college.
- Effects of substance abuse in teenage depression.
- Early symptoms of binge eating disorder.
- Importance of awareness-raising classes on eating disorders among adolescents.
- Self-injurious behavior among girls with eating disorders.
- Effects of bullying in the advancement of drug addiction.
- The connection between depression and eating disorders.
- The urge to eat in fast food restaurants among students.
- Factors contributing to alcoholism among young adults.
- Effects of body shame on the rise of eating disorders.
- Orthorexia and its influence on young women’s self-esteem.
- Eating disorders among female athletes.
- The main signals of substance abuse among teenagers.
- Effects of alcohol on students’ academic performance.
- Detrimental effects of pornography addiction on mental health.
- Debunking the stigma around eating disorders.
- The micro-trend of selfie addiction and its effects.
- Mobile games addiction among children and teenagers.
- Violence and addiction in video games.
- The role of the family in the treatment of eating disorders.
- The importance of halving metabolism when dealing with anorexia.
⚖️ Controversial Correlational Research Topics in Psychology
ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia
- How can one tell the difference between a hypomanic episode and ADHD?
- What are the connections between ADHD and non-psychiatric disorders?
- Is there a comorbidity between ADHD and post-traumatic disorder?
- How do genetic factors influence the risk of ADHD?
- How do lifestyle changes affect the treatment and management of ADHD?
- Is there a relationship between cognitive behavioral therapy and ADHD response?
- In the case of ADHD, how may hyperactive and inattentive behaviors combine?
- Can autism specter disorder be intervened with ADHD?
- Is there a relationship between ADD-influenced impulsivity and other conduct disorders?
- What causes schizophrenia in children?
- What are the signs of schizophrenia in a child?
- How do opposing moods correlate in the case of bipolar disorder?
- Is there a relationship between gene pool and economic factors in cases of bipolar disorder?
- What is the interdependence between manic episodes and outbursts of psychomotor activity?
- Is there a relationship between a patient’s mania and sleep deprivation?
- What are the connections between the patient’s social responsibilities and hypomania?
- How does bipolar disorder relate to other psychiatric conditions, such as anxiety?
- Dependence of a child’s development on a parent with bipolar disorder?
- How does early ADHD connect with other antisocial tendencies?
- What is the codependence between ADHD and substance abuse?
- Describe the connection between inattentiveness and reactive attachment disorder.
- Does ADHD influence the patient’s cognitive tempo?
- Establish the connection between schizophrenia and social problems.
- How do environmental factors affect the risk of schizophrenia?
- How does a parent suffering from schizophrenia affect their children?
- How do such complications as poor nutrition may influence the schizophrenia diagnosis?
- What is the connection between age and schizophrenia?
- How do such disorders as OCD relate to schizophrenia?
- What is the connection between neurological soft signs and symptoms of schizophrenia?
- How does disorganized thinking affect social anxiety and withdrawal?
- Is there a correlation between hormonal cycles and the occurrence of schizophrenia?
- How does schizophrenic disorder affect IQ and neurocognition in general?
- Is there an interdependence between delusions and hallucinations in the case of schizophrenia?
- How can one compare schizophrenic symptoms among teens and adults?
- How is a schizophrenic disorder linked with suicidal thoughts?
- Is there a connection between social disorders and victimization practices?
- How do mind-altering substances relate to schizophrenic disorder?
- How do rapid cycling episodes relate to the bipolar disorder experience?
- What is the relation between lithium intake and suicide rate reduction among those with bipolar disorder?
- How do deaths from natural causes connect with bipolar disorder?
- In which way can family-focused therapy influence the treatment of manic depression?
Racism, Discrimination, Hate Crimes
- How does racism affect mental health?
- Racism in the 20th and 21st century: the difference.
- How does racism work in world medicine?
- Racism in the USA and South Africa: fundamental contrasts.
- How does social experience affect racial bias?
- Combating racism and the oppression of whites: the correlation.
- How does the brain deal with racism?
- Does anti-racism lead to a split in society?
- Modern racism versus past racism: similarities and differences.
- How do social networks influence the fight against racism?
- What significant similarities do racial and gender biases have?
- How does racism affect the quality of life?
- The difference between internalized racism and interpersonal racism.
- Men and Women: wage gap in the world.
- What is the contradiction between discrimination and intolerance?
- Women and men: inequality in the labor market.
- How does the digital economy affect gender inequality?
- Young workers or age-related: who faces discrimination the most?
- Employment without discrimination: myth or reality?
- The contrast between direct and indirect discrimination.
- Comparison of age discrimination with gender discrimination.
- “Black Lives Matter” and “MeToo:” Interrelation.
- The discrepancy between traditional male and female roles.
- Is the level of discrimination in the world growing or falling?
- People’s reactions to sexist and racist jokes.
- What is the contradiction between same-sex and traditional marriages?
- Correlation between LGBT and Hate Crimes.
- How does racism affect Hate Crimes?
- Hate Crimes in the West and East: the ratio.
- How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected Hate Crimes?
- What are the main factors affecting the increase in Hate Crimes?
- The influence of the media on prejudice against social minorities.
- Xenophobia and hate crimes: the connection.
- How do US laws affect the situation with hate crimes?
- Upbringing vs. social environment: a more significant influence on racism.
- On what grounds do Hate Crimes occur more often: religion or race?
- Do political or social changes have the most impact on Hate Crimes?
- The impact of political intimidation on the Hate Crimes situation.
- Terrorism and Hate Crimes: similarities.
- The history of changing women’s inequality.
🚴 Sports & Health Psychology Correlational Topics
- A coach and a psychologist: Whose help is more effective?
- Can a coach replace a psychologist?
- Features of children-athletes of preschool and school age.
- The influence of sports on the manifestation of aggression.
- Why is the cooperation of a coach and a psychologist ineffective?
- What is the difference between fear and anxiety in sports activities?
- How to help an athlete cope with pre-start apathy?
- How to set up an athlete for the next performance after a defeat?
- Is friendship possible in sports?
- Can sports help to cope with aggression?
- Common signs of a successful and unsuccessful athlete.
- Satisfaction with the process or result in sports: which is better?
- Correlation between loss and acquisition of personal resources in sports.
- Is it helpful to fear in sports or not?
- External and internal expression of fear: difference.
- Crises of competition and training process: interrelation.
- The ratio of life expectancy in the 21st and 20th centuries.
- Are cancer or heart disease the most common causes of death in the United States?
- Does psychological death affect biological death?
- The prevalence of hospices in the United States and Britain.
- The impact of palliative care on a patient’s perception of death.
- Is sports motivation or team building the best strategy for solving problems in sports?
- Does moderate daily exercise make a difference in the hygiene of old age?
- Is relaxation the central link of autogenic training?
- Physical fitness – an external manifestation of the level of physical activity?
- The relationship between mental and physiological stress in sports.
- Does sport have a significant influence on personality formation?
- Team and individual sports: interrelation and difference.
- Sports and physical education: what is the most significant influence on the psychological state of a person?
- Do professional athletes experience fears?
- Can sports help to cope with aggression?
- At what age is it advisable for an athlete to start working with a psychologist?
- How does sport ensure the mental health of young athletes?
- How to set up a child for the training process?
- What are the features of the manifestation of fear in sports?
- How to combine academic activities at school and training?
- How to form an interest in sports among children of 8-10 years old?
- What should a coach do to prevent emotional burnout?
- How to develop attention in athletes?
- How to form moral behavior in an athlete?
💢 Correlational Research Topics on Violence & Sexual Abuse
- Is violence an attempt to gain power over others?
- Prevalence of sexual abuse among women and girls.
- Sexual contact without consent and date rape: similarities.
- The ratio of rape among heterosexuals and bisexuals.
- Physical or mental violence: relationships.
- Do external factors provoke impulsive aggression?
- Are employees often silent or report harassment to management?
- The proper reaction to aggression: showing calmness or rebuffing?
- Micro and Macro causes of violence: correlation.
- Do victims of sexual criminals trust the legal system?
- Sexual assaults on whites and blacks: degree of punishment.
- Is childhood sexual abuse commonplace in the US?
- Correlation between PTSD and depression in sexual violence survivors.
- Sexual dysfunction and fertility problems: Connections.
- Are psychological or neurological processes most underlying aggression?
- Does sexual violence cause addiction?
- Does the lack of empathy affect aggression manifestation?
- Relationship between cases of elimination and limitation of violence.
- Correlation between physical punishment and sexual abuse of children.
- Violence against children by the States and the USA: scales.
- The root causes of violence against women and men.
- Is envy often the cause of bullying in collectives?
- Degree of the relationship between violence and force.
- Cases of violence before COVID-19 and after.
- Violence against women and gender inequality: relationships.
- Are the vast majority of abusers men?
- Can psychological violence turn into physical violence?
- Is psychological violence more common in the family or at work?
- Are abusers depressed people?
- Are all people capable of violence, or only some?
- What is the probability that someone who committed violence will do it again?
- The boundaries between permissible self-defense and crime.
- Consequences of violence against women and girls.
- Sexual violence and sexual harassment: differences.
- Do strangers commit most sexual assaults?
- Is sexual violence a crime of passion?
- Is the victim of the crime irreversibly damaged?
- The relationship between shared feelings and the consequences experienced by survivors.
- Sexual violence against men and women: the ratio of crimes.
- Sexual violence among primary school children and adolescents: connections.
🧑💼 Correlational Research Topics on Workplace Psychology
- Interpersonal relationships and dynamics of working culture: Impacts.
- The relation between industrial and organizational psychology.
- Content and process theories of motivation: the ratio.
- Is money the only motivating factor in work?
- Material or non-material motivation: which is better?
- Is Maslow’s theory relevant in the workplace?
- Are theories of motivation based on employee needs concepts?
- Are individual needs the primary motivator of leaders’ ideas?
- Distinctive characteristics of moral and material encouragement.
- Do the majority of managers have leadership qualities?
- Liberal and democratic leadership style: similarities.
- Does the democratic style determine subordinates’ professional growth?
- Advantages of combining leadership and management skills.
- What is the relationship between power and leadership?
- The working environment and staff turnover: interrelations.
- Does absenteeism come from a decrease in labor efficiency?
- The dismissal threat and the loyalty: degree of influence.
- Is low labor efficiency associated with criticism of results?
- Do timing techniques help to identify standard time sinks?
- The motive power and urgency of the needs: connections.
- The organization of adequate rest and concentration: no correlation.
- Principle of materialization and a helpful review of tasks: Relationships.
- Chronophages then and today: comparison and difference.
- Importance and urgency: comparison of task evaluation criteria.
- The success of professional activity depends on the psyche’s mood.
- Intellectual biorhythm and changes in professional abilities: Interrelations.
- Does self-management require self-awareness?
- Self-management determines the ability to cope with stress.
- Balance of effort and results in modern realities.
- Does perfectionism limit a specialist?
🧑🤝🧑 Correlational Research Topics in Psychology of Gender
- The relationship between gender and technology.
- What is the impact of sex differences on cognitive functions?
- How does gender influence dreams and aspirations?
- What effect does gender identity have on socialization?
- How do gender stereotypes affect people’s perception of their gender?
- The relationship between sex and gender.
- What is the impact of gender identity on children’s mental well-being?
- Sex differences and experiences of pain.
- Gender roles and the battlefield.
- Gender identity concerning the idea of woman.
- How do gender differences influence the style of parenting?
- Sex differences about substance use disorders.
- How does gender analysis affect science?
- How do gender differences impact self-esteem?
- The relationship between gender identity and linguistic style.
- How does gender influence job satisfaction?
- How do sex differences impact depression?
- Gender influences on adolescent development.
- The influence of adults’ gender stereotypes on children.
- How do sex differences in school relate to gender identity?
- The relationship between gender and emotion.
- Gender differences in terms of negotiation outcomes.
- The relationship between gender identity and coping strategies.
- Sex differences and attitudes towards love.
- The importance of gender in personality psychology.
- What is the effect of sex differences on leadership qualities?
- Sex differences in mortality rates.
- How do gender stereotypes impact school performance?
- The impact of sex differences on influence tactics.
- How does sex impact the immune response?
🏫 Education, Learning, Memory Correlational Research Topics
- How might memory limitations hamper learning opportunities?
- What is the correlation between low education and memory decline?
- Working memory’s role in childhood education.
- The relationship between brain activity and education.
- The effects of collaboration on learning outcomes.
- The effects of education on immediate memory.
- The improvement of memory functions through education programs.
- How does the teacher-student relationship affect student engagement?
- Cognitively normal people and their memory functioning.
- Individual differences and their role in learning.
- How are rates of memory decline connected to education?
- The effects of problem-based learning on medical education.
- Children with visual impairments and their ways of learning.
- The relationship between students’ temperament and learning behaviors.
- How does the modern-age education system affect memory?
- Problem behaviors and the role of students’ gender differences.
- The speed of information processing and its effects on memory.
- The relationship between language and semantic memory.
- The practices of memory in history education.
- Episodic memory in contemporary educational psychology.
- How does retrieval contribute to learning?
- The correlation between active learning and enhanced memory.
- People with learning disabilities and memory difficulties.
- The impact of emotion on learning.
- Short-term memory’s role in language learning.
- The relationship between personality characteristics and learning outcomes.
- How does drug abuse impact memory?
- The function of gesture concerning learning.
- How can music improve memory?
- The role of relationships in students’ academic success.
- The implications of learning under stress for educational settings.
- The pandemic’s impact on academic motivation.
- Digital storytelling and its effects on visual memory.
- Working memory in the context of science education.
- Working memory and learning difficulties.
- The effects of bilingualism on memory.
- Sensory learning styles and their impact on learning.
- How did the COVID-19 crisis affect doctoral students?
- What effect do teachers’ beliefs and values have on their teaching?
- The relationship between problem-solving and motivation to learn.
💒 Marriage & Relationships Correlational Topics
- The impact of previous relationships on marriage.
- How do romantic relationships affect health?
- The connection between sexual satisfaction and marital satisfaction.
- The correlation between individual strength and relationship satisfaction.
- Same-sex marriage and people’s understanding of same-sex relationships.
- The relationship between gender role attitudes and marriage expectations.
- How does marriage change people’s relationships with their parents?
- Relationship education and a couple’s communication skills.
- The relationship between marriage and drug use.
- The impact of rape in marriage on mental health.
- Emotional intelligence and marital satisfaction.
- Gender role attitudes and division of household labor in marriage.
- How does a transition from cohabitation to marriage affect a relationship?
- The impact of religion on marriage.
- A spouse’s gender and their assessment of marital satisfaction.
- The correlation between wedding spending and marriage duration.
- The effects of sexual timing on relationships
- How does a marriage influence ego development?
- The lack of argumentative skills and marriage quality.
- The connection between marriage and individualism.
- What is the effect of economic factors on relationship quality?
- How is marriage strength affected by relationship enrichment programs?
- The relationship between child marriage and domestic violence.
- Neuroticism and marital satisfaction.
- Household income and relationship satisfaction.
- The relationship between a wife’s employment and marriage quality.
- What is the correlation between relationship quality and sleep quality?
- The impact fathers have on their daughters’ romantic relationships.
- How does forgiveness in marriage affect relationship quality?
- The number of marriageable men and nuptiality.
- The relationship between a healthy marriage and health outcomes.
- How does marriage change people’s views on relationships?
- The relationship between work stress and marriage quality.
- The effect of personality on marriage.
- People’s childhood experiences and their marriage quality.
- How does a marriage relationship change during a couple’s transition to parenthood?
- Adult children of divorce and their view on marriage.
- What is the effect of children on a marriage relationship?
- Stigma experiences and relationship quality in same-sex couples.
- The relationship between losing parents and marrying early.
Correlational Research Topics on Parenting Psychology
- Relations between child development stages theories and styles of parenting?
- What is the impact of media on children’s and adolescents’ behavior?
- How are children’s mental capacities affected by the roles of school teachers?
- Is there a relation between baby sign language and further linguistic cognition?
- How to reduce the risk of a child developing schizophrenia?
- Can bad parenting be a cause of mental illnesses in a child?
- How does puberty affect a teenager’s social behavior?
- What is the relation between spanking a child and children’s violent behavior?
- What is the relation between the gender of a single parent and parenting style?
- How does single male parenting affect a male child?
- How does female single parenting affect a male child?
- How does female single parenting affect a female child?
- Dynamics between adopted children and gay parents?
- What are the disciplinary strategies of authoritarian parenting?
- What is the relation between parenting style and the socialization of children?
- What is the relation between authoritarian and authoritative parenting styles?
- How does authoritarian parenting affect the emergence of obsessive-compulsive syndrome in children in adulthood?
- In which way does authoritarian parenting affect children’s self-esteem?
- What is the connection between children’s obedience and level of happiness?
- The connection between culture and parenting style: Transfer of values.
- What two parental dimensions form the basis for the parenting styles?
- What are parent/child separation effects on children’s emotional stability?
- How can a lack of care in a family affect a child’s psyche?
- How may the phenomenon of learned helplessness manifest itself in a child’s development?
- How does the malicious parent syndrome influence a child’s morale and cognition?
- How does the self-centered behavior of a parent reflect in a child’s development?
- Is there a correlation between a parent’s unresolved trauma and emotional abuse in parenting?
- How does gaslighting relate to children’s self-esteem?
- How does emotional development relate to cognitive skills?
- Are social and language development mutually connected?
- What are the signals of a child being emotionally manipulated?
- Can a parent’s behavior lead a child to be emotionally manipulative?
- How does an uninvolved style of parenting affect children’s development?
- Can parental abuse cause a child to have a social disorder?
- Name the connections between an infant’s and a toddler’s stages of development.
- How does child development relate to increasing autonomy?
- How does the behavioral model of development relate to Freudian theories?
- Can cognitive advancement lead to asynchronous development?
- How are mood swings connected to emotional development?
- Can cognitive development influence egotistic tendencies in a child?
- How does the attachment theory relate to a child’s social development?