Parenting and self-esteem

Researchers are interested in parenting and self-esteem. Sixty children between the ages of 8 and 12 years complete a brief questionnaire assessing self-esteem. Children's parents also complete an interview describing their discipline methods. These researchers predict that punitive tactics are associated with levels of self-esteem.

Is this a correlation or an experiment with independent and dependent variables? Explain your response.

What method(s) are used? What are the strengths and limits of this method(s)?