Researchers,who are analyzing numeric data,look for ________ to identify patterns that tend to repeat over time.

A) trends
B) causations
C) correlations
D) cross-differentiations
E) means

Trends refer to patterns that develop over time as data is observed and analyzed. It is a common method for identifying patterns in numerical data. Causations refer to relationships between variables that suggest cause-and-effect relationships. Correlations refer to relationships between variables that indicate how closely they are associated with one another. Cross-differentiations and means are not commonly used terms in data analysis.