The first step involved in calculating the Pearson correlation coefficient is to:
A) multiply each raw score in one variable by the corresponding raw score in the second variable.
B) square all the scores.
C) calculate the deviation of each score from its mean.
D) calculate the standard deviation for each variable.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The first step in calculating the Pearson correlation coefficient is to calculate the deviation of each score from its mean. This is necessary in order to standardize the scores before multiplying them together and summing them up, which is the next step in the calculation. Option A is incorrect because it involves multiplying raw scores together, which is not necessary at this stage. Option B is also incorrect because squaring the scores is not required until later in the calculation. Option D is incorrect because calculating the standard deviation is not the first step in the process.

The First Step Involved in Calculating the Pearson Correlation Coefficient