A negative correlation indicates what type of relationship?

A negative correlation indicates what type of relationship?

• A. An inverse relationship
• B. A direct relationship
• C. No relationship
• D. A causal relationship

Answer: (A)

Negative correlation means the two variables move in opposite directions: as one increases, the other tends to decrease. This appears as a downward trend on a scatterplot, and the strength depends on how tightly the points line up along that downward path. The relationship is characterized by a correlation coefficient between -1 and 0, with values closer to -1 indicating a stronger inverse link. Remember that correlation does not prove causation. A direct (positive) relationship would show both variables increasing together, while no relationship would show little to no pattern (coefficient near zero).

Negative correlation means the two variables move in opposite directions: as one increases, the other tends to decrease. This appears as a downward trend on a scatterplot, and the strength depends on how tightly the points line up along that downward path. The relationship is characterized by a correlation coefficient between -1 and 0, with values closer to -1 indicating a stronger inverse link. Remember that correlation does not prove causation. A direct (positive) relationship would show both variables increasing together, while no relationship would show little to no pattern (coefficient near zero).