Correlations

Question 1

what are correlations?

Answer 1

there is a relationship between two or more variables

Question 2

what else does correlations mean?

Answer 2

as one variable changes so does the other

Question 3

how are correlation measured?

Answer 3

correlation coefficient

Question 4

what is correlation coefficient?

Answer 4

usually represented by the letter r
a number from -1 to +1 that indicates the strength and direction of the relationship between variables

Question 5

what happens if the correlation coefficient is closer to one?

Answer 5

be it negative or positive
the more strongly related the variables are and the more predictable changes in one variable will be as the other variable changes

Question 6

what happens if the correlation coefficient is closer to zero

Answer 6

the weaker the relationship and the less predictable the relationship between variables come

Question 7

what does the sign of the correlation coefficient indicate (+ -)

Answer 7

+ = variables move in the same direction i.e if one decreases/increases so does the other
- = a negative correlation means that variables move in opposite directions so a decrease in one variable is associated with an increase in the other

Question 8

what are the strengths of correlations?

Answer 8

procedures in correlations can be usually repeated which means the findings can be confirmed
It allows us to discover the strength and direction of relationships that exist between two variables
they are used to investigate trends in data. If a correlation is significant, then you can rule out a casual relationship

Question 9

What are the weaknesses of correlations?

Answer 9

in correlations variables are simply measured no deliberate change is made
Therefore no conclusions can be made about one co-variable causing the other
People can also assume casual relationships. This is a problem because such misinterpretation of correlations may mean that people design programmes for improvement on false pretences