Final answer:
A negative correlation exists between the number of hours spent exercising and the overall weight decrease, signifying that as exercise time increases, weight tends to decrease.
Step-by-step explanation:
The researcher's finding that an increase in the number of hours spent exercising is associated with a decrease in the overall weight of her subjects indicates a negative correlation. This means that there is an inverse relationship between the two variables—as one increases, the other decreases. Graphically, this would be represented by a downward-sloping line on a scatter plot. Negative correlation examples in real-world research could include relationships such as the one between price and quantity demanded, where consumers purchase less when the price is higher, or between the average number of days per week that students get fewer than 5 hours of sleep and their GPA, which shows a weak negative correlation.