Final answer:
The correlation coefficient (r) indicates the strength and direction of a relationship between two variables. Values of r = -0.91 and r = -0.82 represent strong negative correlations; r = -0.54 and r = -0.49 represent moderate negative correlations; and r = 0.26 and r = -0.18 indicate weak positive and negative correlations respectively.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correlation coefficient, known as r, is a statistical measure that calculates the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables. Depending on the magnitude of r, which ranges from -1 to 1, we classify the correlation as strong, moderate, or weak. For a strong correlation, values at or close to -1 or 1 indicate a strong relationship. An r value of -0.91 or -0.82 suggests a very strong negative correlation, where the variables move in opposite directions—when one increases, the other decreases. A moderate correlation is indicated by r values that are further from 1 or -1. An r value of -0.54 or -0.49 represents a moderate negative relationship. A weak correlation is suggested when r is close to 0, showing little to no linear relationship between the variables. Thus, r values of 0.26 or -0.18 indicate a weak positive and weak negative relationship, respectively.