Module 4

Correlation

PSY4750 Marshall Valencia

Correlation


Association between scores on two variables



e.g., age and coordination skills in children, price and quality  The Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient Product(r), or correlation coefficient for short is a measure of the degree of linear relationship between two variables  The correlation coefficient may take on any value between plus and minus one.

Graphing Correlations The Scatter Diagram

 Steps

for making a scatter diagram

1. Draw axes and assign variables to them 2. Determine range of values for each variable and mark on axes 3. Mark a dot for each persons pair of scores

Graphing Correlations The Scatter Diagram

 For

example:
Ho rs Slept 7 9 8 9 8 6 8 7 0 8 Happ 5 7 oo

6 5

Graphing Correlations The Scatter Diagram

Illustrating Correlation through scatterplots

r = 1.00 r = .85

r = .42

r = .17

Illustrating Correlation through scatterplots

r = -.54 r = -.94

r = -.33

Patterns of Correlation
 Linear

correlation  Curvilinear correlation  No correlation  Positive correlation  Negative correlation

Degree of Linear Correlation The Correlation Coefficient

CrossCross-product of Z scores


Multiply score on one variable by score on the other variable Average of the crosscrossproducts of Z scores Positive perfect correlation: r = +1 No correlation: r = Negative perfect correlation: r = 1

Correlation coefficient


Correlation and Causality

 Three

possible directions of causality: Y Y Z

1. X 2. X 3. X

The r2


Squaring the correlation coefficient results in what is called the coefficient of determination or proportion of explained variance. For example if r = . , the proportion of explained variance = .3 . If r = - . , r2 = .4 . Note these could be multiplied by 1 to produce the percent explained variance (3 % and 4 % respectively).

Correlation in Research Articles

 Scatter

diagrams occasionally shown  Correlation matrix

WAGERATE China India Indonesia Japan Korea Malaysia Sri Lanka Taiwan Thailand

GNP

INFLATION

DEBT

$7. $11.4 $7.4 $1.2 $5. $8.80 $12.30 $3.00 $7. 0

. . 1 . 21. 17.1 11.2 3.4 13.2 12.1 8.2 12.4 3.3 7.1 2 12.2 .1

12.7 1 . 11.1 1 13.4 17. 8.8 .

1. 2. 3.

Compute all the bivariate correlations for this data Setup a correlation matrix Interpret the meaning of all r and r2