Final answer:
Correlation involves three descriptors: direction, strength, and shape of the relationship between variables. The correlation coefficient, ranging from -1 to 1, reveals the strength while the pattern of the graphed data indicates the shape.
Step-by-step explanation:
The three main descriptors of a correlation include the direction, strength, and shape of the relationship between variables. The direction of the correlation could be positive or negative, which speaks to whether the variables increase together or as one increases, the other decreases. The strength is indicated by the correlation coefficient (r) which ranges from -1 to 1. A value close to 1 or -1 indicates a strong correlation, while a value near 0 indicates a weak correlation. For instance, a correlation coefficient of 0.9 signifies a much stronger relationship than a coefficient of 0.3. However, correlation does not imply causation. Lastly, the shape of the relationship describes the pattern that emerges when the data is graphed. A linear relationship will result in a line whereas a non-linear relation may follow a curved pattern, suggesting the need for a different model to describe the relationship.
Learn more about Correlation