For a group of graduating college seniors,a researcher records each student's rank in his/her high school graduating class and the student's rank in the college graduating class.Which correlation should be used to measure the relationship between these two variables?
A)Pearson correlation
B)Spearman correlation
C)point-biserial correlation
D)phi-coefficient

Question

For a group of graduating college seniors,a researcher records each student's rank in his/her high school graduating class and the student's rank in the college graduating class.Which correlation should be used to measure the relationship between these two variables?​
A)​Pearson correlation
B)​Spearman correlation
C)​point-biserial correlation
D)​phi-coefficient

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Since the data is ranked instead of measured on an interval or ratio scale, Pearson correlation (choice A) is not appropriate. Point-biserial correlation (choice C) is used when one variable is continuous and the other is dichotomous. Phi-coefficient (choice D) is used when both variables are dichotomous. Thus, the most appropriate choice for this scenario is Spearman correlation (choice B) which is used when the data is ranked or measured on an ordinal scale.

For a Group of Graduating College Seniors,a Researcher Records Each