Why do correlation coefficients greater than 0.50 rarely occur in the social sciences?
A) Human behavior is the product of many interacting variables; any single variable will be limited in its association with a behavior.
B) Social scientists fail to construct experiments carefully enough to detect larger correlations.
C) The highest value a correlation coefficient can take on is 0.60.
D) Social scientists have not yet discovered the variables that are the best predictors of human behavior.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Human behavior is complex and influenced by multiple factors, making it unlikely for any single variable to have a very strong correlation with a behavior. Therefore, correlations greater than 0.50 are rare in the social sciences.

Why Do Correlation Coefficients Greater Than 0