PSYC 255 QUIZ 3 COMPREHENSIVE
EXAMINATION TEST WITH COMPLETE
QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS
◉ What is a correlation. Answer: A relationship between two
variables.
◉ What is a positive correlation. Answer: As one variable increases,
the other increases.
◉ What is a negative correlation. Answer: As one variable increases,
the other decreases.
◉ What is zero correlation. Answer: No relationship between
variables.
◉ What is a correlation coefficient. Answer: A statistic showing the
strength and direction of a relationship.
◉ What is the range of correlation coefficients. Answer: -1 to +1.
◉ What does an r value near +1 or -1 mean. Answer: A strong
relationship.
, ◉ What does an r value near 0 mean. Answer: A weak relationship.
◉ What is a scatterplot. Answer: A graph showing relationships
between two variables.
◉ Why does correlation not equal causation. Answer: Correlations
cannot establish cause-and-effect relationships.
◉ What are the three possible explanations for a correlation. Answer:
A causes B, B causes A, or a third variable explains both.
◉ What are the three causal criteria. Answer: Covariance, temporal
precedence, and internal validity.
◉ What is the directionality problem. Answer: Researchers cannot tell
which variable came first.
◉ What is the third-variable problem. Answer: Another variable may
explain the relationship.
◉ What is covariance. Answer: Two variables change together.
◉ What is construct validity in correlational studies. Answer: How
well variables were measured.
EXAMINATION TEST WITH COMPLETE
QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS
◉ What is a correlation. Answer: A relationship between two
variables.
◉ What is a positive correlation. Answer: As one variable increases,
the other increases.
◉ What is a negative correlation. Answer: As one variable increases,
the other decreases.
◉ What is zero correlation. Answer: No relationship between
variables.
◉ What is a correlation coefficient. Answer: A statistic showing the
strength and direction of a relationship.
◉ What is the range of correlation coefficients. Answer: -1 to +1.
◉ What does an r value near +1 or -1 mean. Answer: A strong
relationship.
, ◉ What does an r value near 0 mean. Answer: A weak relationship.
◉ What is a scatterplot. Answer: A graph showing relationships
between two variables.
◉ Why does correlation not equal causation. Answer: Correlations
cannot establish cause-and-effect relationships.
◉ What are the three possible explanations for a correlation. Answer:
A causes B, B causes A, or a third variable explains both.
◉ What are the three causal criteria. Answer: Covariance, temporal
precedence, and internal validity.
◉ What is the directionality problem. Answer: Researchers cannot tell
which variable came first.
◉ What is the third-variable problem. Answer: Another variable may
explain the relationship.
◉ What is covariance. Answer: Two variables change together.
◉ What is construct validity in correlational studies. Answer: How
well variables were measured.
