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Which one of the following is false regarding the Pearson correlation coefficient?

A. It spans from −1 to +1
B. A positive value means that one variable moves the other variable in the same direction
C. It can give information about cause and effect
D. It indicates the degree of relationship
E. A negative value means that one variable moves the other variable in the opposite direction

1 Answer

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Final answer:

The false statement about the Pearson correlation coefficient is that it can give information about cause and effect. This coefficient only measures the strength and direction of the linear relationship between two variables and does not imply causation.

Step-by-step explanation:

You asked which statement regarding the Pearson correlation coefficient is false. The false statement is: C. It can give information about cause and effect. The Pearson correlation coefficient is a measure of the strength and direction of a linear relationship between two variables, but it does not imply causation. Its value ranges from -1 to +1, with -1 indicating a perfect negative linear correlation, +1 indicating a perfect positive linear correlation, and 0 indicating no linear correlation.

A positive value suggests that the variables move in the same direction, meaning as one variable increases, the other variable tends to increase as well. Conversely, a negative value indicates that the variables move in opposite directions. So, statements A, B, and E are true.

The number indicating the strength of the relationship is closer to 1 or -1, the stronger it is. The statement D is also true as it correctly indicates that the coefficient depicts the degree of relationship between the variables.

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