What is a common limitation of correlational studies?

Correlational studies are primarily designed to measure the relationship or association between two variables, but they do not establish a cause-and-effect relationship. This limitation arises because correlation only indicates that a relationship exists, not that one variable influences or causes changes in another. For example, if a study finds a positive correlation between ice cream sales and drowning incidents, it does not mean that increasing ice cream sales causes more drownings; there may be a third variable (such as warm weather) that affects both.

Understanding this limitation helps researchers and readers critically evaluate the findings of a correlational study and consider the potential for confounding variables that could influence the relationship observed.