MONDRIAAN AURA COLLEGE – SUBIC BAY
BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
PEARSON CORRELATION
Prepared by: Camae Gangcuangco
Correlation is a statistical tool to measure the association of two or more quantitative variables. It is concerned with the relationship on the changes and
movements of two variables. Correlation is also defined as the measure of lineal relationship between two random variable X and Y, and is denoted by r.
That is r measures the extent to which the points cluster about a straight line.
Uses of Pearson r
To know if the two or more variables has a relationship.
Use for a data that is continuous.
To find the strength and direction of the correlation.
Types of correlation
A positive correlation means that the variables move in the same direction. Put another way, it means that as one variable increases so does
the other, and conversely, when one variable decreases so does the other.
A negative correlation means that the variables move in opposite directions.
Strength of the relationship
±1.00 Perfect positive(negative) correlation
±0.91 – ±0.99 Very strong positive(negative) correlation
±0.71 – ±0.90 Strong positive(negative) correlation
±0.51 – ±0.70 Moderate positive(negative) correlation
±0.31 – ±0.50 Weak positive(negative) correlation
±0.01 – ±0.30 Very weak positive(negative) correlation
0.00 No correlation / No relation
Pearson Correlation Coefficient
One of the most widely used computational formulas for correlation is the Pearson Correlation Coefficient, the symbol of which is r. The size of the
correlation varies from +1 through 0 to -1.
The formula for Pearson r is:
Where:
X= the observed data for the independent variable.
Y= the observed data for the dependent variable.
n= total sample size/total number of observations.
r = degree of relationship between x and y.
EXAMPLE:
Example of assumed question that we can use in correlation but, we don’t say that it has a cause and effect because; possible that it is related but has no
logical relationship in this case we need to have an experiment:
Is there a relationship between self-confidence and exam scores?
H0 = There is no significant correlation between self-confidence and exam scores.
Ha = There is a significant correlation between self-confidence and exam scores.
Steps in getting the correlation using Pearson r:
Step 1: Find the summation(Σ) of x and y variables
x y xy x2 y2
49 81
50 88
53 87
55 99
60 91
55 89
60 95
50 90
Σx = 432 Σy = 720
Step 2: Find the summation(Σ) of x * y
x y xy x2 y2
49 81 3969
50 88 4400
53 87 4611
55 99 5445
60 91 5460
55 89 4895
60 95 5700
50 90 4500
Σx = 432 Σy = 720 Σxy = 38980
Step 3: Find the summation(Σ) of square of x variable(x2)
x y xy x2 y2
49 81 3969 2401
50 88 4400 2500
53 87 4611 2809
55 99 5445 3025
60 91 5460 3600
55 89 4895 3025
60 95 5700 3600
50 90 4500 2500
2
Σx = 432 Σy = 720 Σxy = 38980 Σx = 23460
Step 4: Find the summation(Σ) of square of y variable(y2)
x y xy x2 y2
49 81 3969 2401 6561
50 88 4400 2500 7744
53 87 4611 2809 7569
55 99 5445 3025 9801
60 91 5460 3600 8281
55 89 4895 3025 7921
60 95 5700 3600 9025
50 90 4500 2500 8100
Σx = 432 Σy = 720 Σxy = 38980 Σx2 = 23460 Σy2 = 65002
Step 5: Compute for the r
r= n(Σxy) - (Σx)(Σy)
√ [n(Σx2) - (Σx)2] [n(Σy2) - (Σy)2]
r= 8(38980) - (432)(720)
√ [8(23460) - (432)2] [8(65002) - (720)2]
r= 311840 - 311040
√ [187680 - 186624] [520016 - 518400]
r= 800
√(1056)(1616)
r= 800
√1706496
r= 800
1306.329208
r = +0.612 (moderate positive)
Step 6: Find the critical value
In hypothesis testing, a critical value is a point on the test distribution that is compared to the test statistic to determine whether to reject the null
hypothesis. If the absolute value of your test statistic is greater than the critical value, you can declare statistical significance and reject the null
hypothesis.
Degrees of freedom
df = n – 2 df = 8 – 2 df = 6
Step 7: Draw out the conclusion by comparing the computed and the table value.
