correlation coefficients
What correlation coefficients means in Psychology A-Level, as defined for AQA, OCR.
Definitions of correlation coefficients
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Reference: AQA
A value from -1.0 to +1.0 that quantifies the pattern on a scattergram, where the sign indicates direction and the distance from zero indicates strength.
Expressed to two or three significant figures, with the sign retained so a negative coefficient remains negative.
Expressed to two or three significant figures because excessive decimal places imply false precision.
Topics that use correlation coefficients
- Handling data (AQA A-Level)
- D.1 – handling data (OCR A-Level)
Related terms
- co-variables
- content analysis
- level of measurement
- levels of measurement
- levels of significance
- measures of central tendency
- Meta-analysis
- normal distribution
Using correlation coefficients in the exam
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