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Correlation
Correlation is a measure of how related scores on two variables are. A correlation is denoted by the symbol r.
Watch Out!
Just because two variables are correlated doesn't mean one caused the other! Correlation is not causation.
A correlation has two components:
- Positivity or negativity - which direction does the relationship go?
- Value - how strong is the relationship, from 0 (no relationship) to 1.00 (perfect relationship). A correlation of -.70 and +.70 are equal in strength
Watch Out!
A correlation cannot be stronger than +1.00 or -1.00. If you see a correlation coefficient outside of those bounds it is a trap!
Practice: Correlations
We can best predict the value of one variable from another variable if they have a correlation coefficient of:
Practice: Correlation VS Causation
Research shows there is a positive correlation between the number of night clubs and churches in cities. We can conclude that: