Question 1

As a person ages they demonstrate lower rates of recall for words studied from a list.This suggests that the relationship between age and recall memory is a

Accepted Answer

A negative correlation suggests that as age increases, recall memory decreases, which is what is observed in this scenario.

Question 2

Which of the following values indicates that there is no relationship between two variables?

Accepted Answer

A correlation coefficient of 0.00 indicates that there is no relationship between two variables.

Question 3

"Okay.What does a correlation coefficient tell us?" Zoe asks the members of her psychology study group."The strength of a relationship between two variables," answers Yvonne."The direction of the relationship between two variables," puts in Will.Who's right?

Accepted Answer

Both Yvonne and Will are correct. The correlation coefficient measures both the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables. The strength of the relationship is indicated by the magnitude of the correlation coefficient, while the direction of the relationship is indicated by the sign of the coefficient (positive, negative, or zero).

Question 4

Which of the following defines a positive correlation?

Accepted Answer

A positive correlation means that as one variable increases, the other variable also increases, or as one decreases, the other also decreases. This is accurately described in option A.

Question 5

Dr.Denny has just discovered a perfect positive correlation between hours of studying and grades in students who pay for their own education.Based on this,what can Dr.Denny conclude?

Accepted Answer

Causal conclusions cannot be drawn from correlation alone. Correlation indicates a relationship between two variables, but it does not establish that one variable causes the other. Other factors, such as a good work ethic, could influence both variables, or the relationship could be coincidental.

Question 6

In a large correlational study,Grace finds a correlation coefficient of .15 between one pair of variables.She finds a coefficient of -.65 between two other variables.Which alternative below BEST describes these two correlations,respectively?

Accepted Answer

The correlation coefficient of .15 indicates a weak positive relationship, while -.65 indicates a strong negative relationship.

Question 7

Between which pair of variables is one most likely to find a positive correlation?

Accepted Answer

It is likely that GPA and amount of studying have a positive correlation, as students who study more are likely to perform better academically.

Question 8

The correlation coefficient ranges from

Accepted Answer

The correlation coefficient measures the strength and direction of the linear relationship between two variables. It ranges between -1.00 and 1.00, where -1.00 indicates a perfect negative correlation, 1.00 indicates a perfect positive correlation, and 0 indicates no correlation at all. Therefore, option B is the correct answer.

Question 9

Which of the following correlation coefficients represents the strongest relationship between two variables?

Accepted Answer

The absolute value of the correlation coefficient indicates the strength of the relationship between two variables. Therefore, the correlation coefficient with the highest absolute value represents the strongest relationship.

Option A has a correlation coefficient of -.75, which is closer to -1, indicating a strong negative relationship between the variables. Therefore, the answer is A.

Option B has a correlation coefficient of .60, which is still a relatively strong positive relationship between the variables.

Option C has a correlation coefficient of 0, indicating no relationship between the variables.

Option D has a correlation coefficient of .30, which is a weak positive relationship between the variables.

Question 10

A researcher finds a correlation of -.51.Which pair of variables is the researcher most likely investigating?

Accepted Answer

A negative correlation (such as -.51) suggests that as one variable increases, the other decreases. The relationship between GPA and alcohol use fits this pattern, as increased alcohol use is often associated with lower GPA.

Question 11

If there is a relationship between the amount of caffeine consumed and heart rate in that the more caffeine that is consumed the faster a person's heart beats,how would you describe the correlation between caffeine and heart rate?

Accepted Answer

A positive correlation indicates that as the amount of caffeine consumed increases, so does the heart rate. This relationship fits with the given scenario where more caffeine leads to a faster heart rate, as opposed to a negative correlation where an increase in one variable leads to a decrease in the other. A stable or unstable correlation is not a relevant description for this situation.

Question 12

Which of the following defines a negative correlation?

Accepted Answer

A negative correlation indicates an inverse relationship between two variables, meaning that as one variable increases, the other tends to decrease. Therefore, when the scores on one variable tend to decrease as the scores on another variable increase, it indicates a negative correlation.

Question 13

"I'm so pleased! I got a correlation between scores on my socio-sexual activity measure and scores on the anxious attachment scale,just like I predicted," enthuses Ahmed.Based on your text's discussion regarding correlations between complex behaviours and thoughts,the absolute value of Ahmed's coefficient should be

Accepted Answer

In psychological research, a correlation coefficient of at least .30 is generally considered to indicate a moderate relationship between complex behaviors and thoughts, which is likely what Ahmed is observing.

Question 14

Which term is most nearly synonymous with the term correlation?

Accepted Answer

Correlation refers to the presence of a relationship or association between two variables. Therefore, the term "relationship" is most nearly synonymous with correlation.

Question 15

Using a sample of young adolescents,Dr.Nguyen finds a correlation of .55 between scores on a measure of neglectful or uninvolved parenting and scores on a measure of delinquent behaviour.Which of the following might Dr.Nguyen legitimately conclude?

Accepted Answer

The correlation coefficient of .55 indicates a positive relationship between neglectful or uninvolved parenting and delinquent behavior. However, correlation does not prove causation, and it is not possible to conclude that uninvolved parenting causes juvenile delinquency. Option C is incorrect as there is a relationship between uninvolved parenting and delinquency. Option D is incorrect as a negative relationship suggests that as one variable increases, the other decreases, which is not supported by the correlation coefficient in this case. Option B is the best choice as it accurately describes the relationship indicated by the correlation coefficient.

Question 16

A ___ correlation results when there is no relationship between two variables.

Accepted Answer

A zero correlation means that there is no relationship between the two variables being studied. This can occur when there is no relationship at all or when any relationship is balanced out by opposite effects.

Question 17

Velma found a positive correlation between self-reported alcohol and drug use and sick days taken in a study of white-collar workers.A graph of her results would show

Accepted Answer

A positive correlation means that as one variable increases, the other variable also increases. In this case, as self-reported alcohol and drug use increases, sick days taken also increase. This relationship would be best represented by a diagonal line from the bottom left to the top right on a scatter plot.

Question 18

Researchers use statistics as a tool to

Accepted Answer

Researchers use statistics to determine whether the variables in their research are related or whether there is a true difference between their groups. Statistics help to test hypotheses and make inferences about the population based on the findings from the sample. While statistics can be used to compare findings to previous work or support existing theories, they are primarily used to determine the relationships and differences between variables. Statistics are not used to choose a sample; rather, they help to analyze data from the selected sample.

Question 19

In a survey project,Dr.Miyake finds a correlation of .60 between attachment security and the likelihood with which participants say they'd engage in various pro-social behaviours at work.Each of the following is consistent with this data EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

The statement "there is a perfect relationship between attachment security and pro-social work behaviour" is not consistent with the data because the correlation coefficient is only .60, not 1.0 (perfect correlation). Choices A, B, and C all describe relationships that are consistent with the data.

Question 20

The direction of the relationship between two variables is given by a correlation coefficient's ___; the strength of the relationship is given by the coefficient's ___.

Accepted Answer

The direction of the relationship between two variables is indicated by the sign (positive or negative) of the correlation coefficient, while the strength of the relationship is determined by its absolute value, regardless of the direction.

Quiz 2: Psychology as a Science