Suppose your professor reports that across all of her classes over the past 10 years, she found a -.63 correlation between number of absences and final exam score. This statistic means that_____
A) final exam scores are caused by absences.
B) students who scored highest on the final examination were not absent.
C) students who were absent more frequently tended to score lower on the final exam than those who were absent less frequently.
D) students who are absent more frequently tended to score higher on the final exam than those who are absent less frequently.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A negative correlation coefficient (-.63) indicates an inverse relationship between number of absences and final exam score. In other words, as the number of absences increases, the final exam score decreases. Therefore, students who were absent more frequently tended to score lower on the final exam than those who were absent less frequently. Option A is incorrect because correlation does not prove causation. Option B is incorrect as there is no information about the relationship between highest exam scores and absences. Option D is also incorrect as the correlation is negative, indicating the opposite relationship.

Suppose Your Professor Reports That Across All of Her Classes