A director of a small psychotherapy clinic is trying to plan hiring of temporary staff to assist with intake. She is wondering if there was any difference in the use of the clinic during different seasons of the year. Last year, there were a total of 128 new clients. To see if there is a difference by season she looks at how many clients previous enrolled during each season.

a) What type of research design is being used? b) What is the independent or quasi-independent variable? (if applicable) c) What is the dependent variable? (if applicable) d) What is the scale of measurement for the DV? (if applicable) d) If a correlational design is used, what is a possible alternative explanation (third variable)?