Final answer:
The value of r = -0.856 indicates a stronger correlation than r = 0.807 since its absolute value is closer to 1, signifying a stronger linear relationship regardless of the sign, which only denotes the direction of the correlation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The value of r indicates the strength of the correlation between two variables. Values of r that are close to -1 or +1 indicate a stronger linear relationship. Therefore, to judge which value indicates a stronger correlation between r = 0.807 and r = -0.856, we compare their absolute values.
The absolute value of r = 0.807 is 0.807, while the absolute value of r = -0.856 is 0.856, which is closer to 1. Consequently, r = -0.856 represents a stronger correlation than r = 0.807, regardless of the signs, since the sign of r only indicates the direction of the relationship, not the strength.
It's important to note that a positive r means that as one variable increases, so does the other, demonstrating a positive correlation. Alternatively, a negative r signifies that as one variable increases, the other decreases, indicating a negative correlation.