In one study described in your text, participants were asked to judge the grammaticality of English sentences. Participants were native Chinese or Korean speakers who had come to the United States at varying ages. Which of the following probably best approximates the correlation coefficient researchers obtained between the age at which participants entered the United States and a measure of their performance on the grammaticality task?
A) -.95
B) -.40
C) .00
D) .50

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The correlation coefficient in the study was -.40, indicating a moderate negative correlation between age of arrival in the U.S. and grammaticality judgments. This means that the earlier a person arrived in the U.S., the better they performed on the task. A correlation of -.95 would indicate a very strong negative correlation, which was not found in this study. A correlation of .00 would suggest no relationship between age of arrival and performance, which is unlikely given the results of the study. A correlation of .50 would indicate a moderate positive correlation, which is the opposite of what was found in this study.

In One Study Described in Your Text, Participants Were Asked