When is it inappropriate to conduct a t test for the correlation coefficient?
A)when the correlation is negative
B)when the correlation is positive
C)when the relationship is linear
D)when the relationship is nonlinear

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

It is inappropriate to conduct a t-test for the correlation coefficient when the relationship between the variables is nonlinear. This is because the t-test assumes a linear relationship between the variables, and a nonlinear relationship violates this assumption. Therefore, when the relationship is nonlinear, other statistical tests such as a nonparametric correlation test may be more appropriate. The sign of the correlation (positive or negative) and whether the relationship is linear or not are not determining factors for whether a t-test for the correlation coefficient is appropriate.

When Is It Inappropriate to Conduct a T Test for the Correlation