Imagine your research team has been tasked with finding the correlation of 2 variables from your scenario. The data below includes 4 research participants’ data for variable 1 (high scores mean better of variable 1) and data for variable 2 (high scores mean more of the variable). The scores are as follows:
Person
Variable 1
Variable 2
1
1
10
2
1
8
3
2
4
4
4
-2
Describe the process your research team would go through by completing the following:
Create a scatter diagram of the scores.
Describe in words the general pattern of correlation, if any.
Figure the correlation coefficient.
Explain the logic of what you have done, writing as if you are speaking to someone who has never heard of correlation (but who does understand the mean, standard deviation, Z scores, and hypothesis testing).
Provide 3 logically possible directions of causality, indicating for each direction whether it is a reasonable explanation for the correlation based on the variables involved. Explain your answer.