Describing Relationships 3.1 Correlation

Our eyes are not always reliable when looking to see how strong a linear relationship is. This is why we rely on a number to help us.

Measuring Linear Association: Correlation The correlation r measures the direction and strength of the linear relationship between two quantitative variables. r is always a number between -1 and 1 r > 0 indicates a positive association. r < 0 indicates a negative association. Values of r near 0 indicate a very weak linear relationship. strength increases as r moves away from 0 towards -1 or 1. r = -1 and r = 1 occur only in the case of a perfect linear relationship.

Correlation Practice 4. r ≈ 0.9 For each graph, estimate the correlation r and interpret it in context. Answer choices: 1. r ≈ -- 0.6 2. r ≈ -- 0.1 3. r ≈ 0.3 4. r ≈ 0.9 5. r ≈ -- 0.8 6. r ≈ 0.5 4. r ≈ 0.9 Pretty strong, positive relationship r ≈ 0.9

Correlation Practice 6. r ≈ 0.5 4. r ≈ 0.9 For each graph, estimate the correlation r and interpret it in context. Answer choices: 1. r ≈ -- 0.6 2. r ≈ -- 0.1 3. r ≈ 0.3 4. r ≈ 0.9 5. r ≈ -- 0.8 6. r ≈ 0.5 6. r ≈ 0.5 4. r ≈ 0.9 (b) Moderate, positive relationship r ≈ 0.5

Correlation Practice 3. r ≈ 0.3 For each graph, estimate the correlation r and interpret it in context. Answer choices: 1. r ≈ -- 0.6 2. r ≈ -- 0.1 3. r ≈ 0.3 4. r ≈ 0.9 5. r ≈ -- 0.8 6. r ≈ 0.5 3. r ≈ 0.3 (c) Weak, positive relationship r ≈ 0.3

Correlation Practice 2. r ≈ - 0.1 For each graph, estimate the correlation r and interpret it in context. Answer choices: 1. r ≈ -- 0.6 2. r ≈ -- 0.1 3. r ≈ 0.3 4. r ≈ 0.9 5. r ≈ -- 0.8 6. r ≈ 0.5 2. r ≈ - 0.1 (d) Weak, negative relationship r ≈ -0.1

Example, p. 153 r = 0.936 Interpret the value of r in context. The correlation of 0.936 confirms what we see in the scatterplot; there is a strong, positive linear relationship between points per game and wins in the SEC.

Example, p. 153 r = 0.936 The point highlighted in red on the scatterplot is Mississippi. What effect does Mississippi have on the correlation. Justify your answer. Mississippi makes the correlation closer to 1 (stronger). If Mississippi were not included, the remaining points wouldn’t be as tightly clustered in a linear pattern.

Calculating Correlation How to Calculate the Correlation r Suppose that we have data on variables x and y for n individuals. The values for the first individual are x1 and y1, the values for the second individual are x2 and y2, and so on. The means and standard deviations of the two variables are x-bar and sx for the x-values and y-bar and sy for the y-values. The correlation r between x and y is: Notice what the formula has in it. Z-scores

Facts About Correlation Correlation makes no distinction between explanatory and response variables. r does not change when we change the units of measurement of x, y, or both. The correlation r itself has no unit of measurement.

Cautions Correlation requires that both variables be quantitative. Correlation does not describe curved relationships between variables, no matter how strong the relationship is. Because of this, r = - 1 or 1 does not guarantee a linear relationship. Correlation is not resistant. r is strongly affected by a few outlying observations. Correlation is not a complete summary of two-variable data.

This set of data has a correlation close to – 1, but we can see a slight curve in the scatterplot. Always plot your data!

Example p. 157 – Why correlation doesn’t tell the whole story Scoring Figure Skaters. Until a scandal at the 2002 Olympics brought change, figure skating was scored by judges on a scale from 0.0 to 6.0. The scores were often controversial. We have the scores awarded by two judges, Pierre and Elena, for many skaters. How well do they agree? We calculate that the correlation between their scores is r = 0.9. But the mean of Pierre’s scores is 0.8 point lower than Elena’s mean. These facts don’t contradict each other. They simply give different kinds of information. The mean scores show that Pierre awards lower scores than Elena. But because Pierre gives every skater a score about 0.8 point lower than Elena does, the correlation remains high. Adding the same number to all values of either x or y does not change the correlation. If both judges score the same skaters, the competition is scored consistently because Pierre and Elena agree on which performances are better than others. The high r shows their agreement. But if Pierre scores some skaters and Elena others, we should add 0.8 point to Pierre’s scores to arrive at a fair comparison.

Using the Calculator – TI Series – p. 146 Team Average Points Per Game Wins Alabama 34.8 12 Arkansas 36.8 11 Auburn 25.7 8 Florida 25.5 7 Georgia 32.0 10 Kentucky 15.8 5 Louisiana State 35.7 13 Mississippi 16.1 2 Mississippi State 25.3 South Carolina 30.1 Tennessee 20.3 Vanderbilt 26.7 6 STAT  Edit Enter data. x-variable in L1 y-variable in L2

Using the Calculator – TI Series – p. 146 STAT  Edit Enter data. x-variable in L1 y-variable in L2 2nd  0 (Catalog) ↓ DiagnosticOn Press Enter twice

Using the Calculator – TI Series – p. 146 STAT CALC ↓ 8:LinReg(a + bx) Press Enter twice r is your correlation *NOTE: LinReg defaults to using L1 as x and L2 as y. If you want something different, you have to indicate it. For example, LinReg(a + bx) L1, L3. We’ll discuss why we use 8 instead of 4 later. We’ll discuss r2 later.

Using the Calculator – HP Prime – p. 146 Apps Select Statistics 2 Var

Using the Calculator – HP Prime – p. 146 Team Average Points Per Game Wins Alabama 34.8 12 Arkansas 36.8 11 Auburn 25.7 8 Florida 25.5 7 Georgia 32.0 10 Kentucky 15.8 5 Louisiana State 35.7 13 Mississippi 16.1 2 Mississippi State 25.3 South Carolina 30.1 Tennessee 20.3 Vanderbilt 26.7 6 Enter data x-variable in C1 y-variable in C2

Using the Calculator – HP Prime – p. 146 Press Stats in lower right corner r ≈ 0.9359

HW Due: Friday P. 161 # 15 – 18, 21, 30