Pearson r requires that the data be of interval or ratio scaling.

Question

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Pearson r is a correlation coefficient that measures the strength and direction of the linear relationship between two variables. It is only appropriate to use with variables that have interval or ratio scaling, as these are the only types of data that can be meaningfully measured and quantified in terms of distance, magnitude, and proportionality. Variables that are nominal or ordinal, such as categories or rankings, cannot be treated as numerical values and are therefore not suitable for Pearson r analysis.

Pearson R Requires That the Data Be of Interval or Ratio