Based on research with her patients, Dr.Sabine knows that the correlation coefficient between scores on an anxiety scale and comfort at a social gathering is -0.35.If the critical value for r is 0.330, what should she conclude?
A) The null hypothesis should be retained.
B) Scores on the anxiety scale are significantly related to feelings of comfort in a social gathering.
C) Scores on the anxiety scale are not significantly related to feelings of comfort in a social gathering.
D) Scores on the anxiety scale are causally related to feelings of comfort in a social gathering.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The critical value for r is 0.330 which means that any value below this is not significant. As the correlation coefficient between scores on an anxiety scale and comfort at a social gathering is -0.35, this implies that there is a significant negative relationship between the two variables. Therefore, we can conclude that scores on the anxiety scale are significantly related to feelings of comfort in a social gathering (Option B). The other options are incorrect as there is a significant relationship between the two variables, but it does not necessarily imply causation (Option D). Moreover, we cannot retain the null hypothesis as the correlation coefficient is significant (Option A). Lastly, scores on the anxiety scale are significantly related to feelings of comfort in a social gathering (Option C) which contradicts with the given critical value.

Based on Research with Her Patients, Dr