Which of the following is the weakest correlation?
+.80 ,
-.40,
+.14 ,
-.95
The correct answer and explanation is:
The weakest correlation is +0.14.
Correlation is a measure of the strength and direction of a linear relationship between two variables. It ranges from -1 to +1, where:
- +1 indicates a perfect positive correlation (as one variable increases, the other increases in a perfectly predictable manner).
- -1 indicates a perfect negative correlation (as one variable increases, the other decreases in a perfectly predictable manner).
- 0 indicates no linear relationship between the variables.
In this case, we are given four correlations:
- +0.80: This is a strong positive correlation, meaning there is a clear tendency for both variables to increase together.
- -0.40: This is a moderate negative correlation, indicating a moderate inverse relationship where one variable tends to decrease as the other increases.
- +0.14: This is a weak positive correlation. The relationship is positive, but it is very weak, meaning there is little to no predictable pattern between the two variables.
- -0.95: This is a very strong negative correlation. The two variables have an almost perfect inverse relationship, where one variable strongly decreases as the other increases.
The weakest correlation is +0.14 because it is closest to 0, indicating that the relationship between the two variables is very weak. While there is some positive relationship, it is not strong or reliable. In contrast, the other correlations, especially +0.80 and -0.95, indicate much stronger relationships, either positive or negative. Therefore, +0.14 represents the weakest linear relationship among the options.