When we say that a correlation coefficient is statistically significant, we mean that
A) we have reason to believe that it reflects an important relationship between variables.
B) we have reason to believe that the relationship is positive.
C) we have reason to believe that the true correlation in the population is not 0.0.
D) we have strong support for a causal statement about the relationship.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When a correlation coefficient is statistically significant, it means that the probability of obtaining that correlation coefficient by chance is low (typically less than 5%). Therefore, we can conclude that there is a relationship between the variables in the sample, and that this relationship is likely to be present in the population as well. While we cannot make causal statements about the relationship based on correlation alone, we can infer that there is a true correlation between the variables.

When We Say That a Correlation Coefficient Is Statistically Significant