Let's assume we find in a study that the correlation coefficient between number of years of education and cigarette smoking is -0.89. This means that as education level increases:
A) smoking tends to increase.
B) smoking tends to decrease.
C) smoking changes 89 percent.
D) smoking is nonexistent.
E) only 89 out of every 100 people in the study would not smoke.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The correlation coefficient (-0.89) indicates a negative correlation between education level and cigarette smoking. As the education level increases, smoking tends to decrease. The correlation coefficient does not indicate a percentage of change or the presence or absence of smoking - only the degree and direction of the relationship between the two variables.

Let's Assume We Find in a Study That the Correlation