Correlation in AP Psychology

Definition

Correlation refers to the statistical relationship between two variables. If one variable changes, there tends to be a consistent change in the other variable too.

Related terms

Positive Correlation:

When both variables increase together or decrease together, much like synchronized swimmers performing identical movements at the same time.

Negative Correlation:

When one variable increases while the other decreases, similar to how when you push down on one side of a seesaw, the other side goes up.

Coefficient of correlation (r): The numerical measure of correlation strength ranging from -1 (perfect negative correlation) through 0 (no correlation) to +1 (perfect positive correlation). Like scoring how well synchronized swimmers are performing together – closer they are to perfect synchronization, closer the score is to +1.