Scientific American: Psychology
Infographic Activity 1.4: The Correlation Coefficient
The Correlation Coefficient: What’s in a Number?
A correlation indicates a relationship between two variables, such as the amount of time you spend studying and the grade you get on a test. This relationship is often indicated using a correlation coefficient, symbolized as r. To interpret the relationship using a correlation coefficient (r), ask yourself two questions:
(1) What is the direction of the relationship?
(2) What is the strength of the relationship?
A scatterplot helps us see what the correlation looks like. And remember, a correlation between two variables does not necessarily mean the one variable caused the change in the other variable.
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