Person Dexterity Anxiety1 1 102 1 83 2 44 4 -2Figure the correlation coefficient
University of Phoenix Material TEAM B
Correlation Study Worksheet
Participating Members Include: Maryia Fennell,
Your research team has been tasked with finding the correlation of the following scenario:
Four research participants take a test of manual dexterity (high scores mean better dexterity) and an anxiety test (high scores mean more anxiety). The scores are as follows:
Person Dexterity Anxiety
1 1 10
2 1 8
3 2 4
4 4 -2
Describe the process that your research team would go through by completing the following:
- Make a scatter diagram of the scores.
- Describe in words the general pattern of correlation, if any.
- Figure the correlation coefficient.
- Figure whether the correlation is statistically significant (use the .05 significance level, two-tailed).
- Explain the logic of what you have done, writing as if you are speaking to someone who has never heard of correlation (but who does understand the mean, standard deviation, Z scores, and hypothesis testing).
- Give three logically possible directions of causality, indicating for each direction whether it is a reasonable explanation for the correlation in light of the variables involved (and why).
The answers are on the next page.
Answers for questions # 1-6
2.
- (b) It appears from the scatter diagram that there is a negative correlation between dexterity and anxiety. Higher the dexterity of a person, lower is her anxiety. This is only to be expected because more skills a person has, more confident she is and therefore less prone to being anxious.
References
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