PSYC 200 Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Negative Relationship, Scatter Plot, Normal Distribution

• School: University of Maryland
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 200
• Professor: Jonathan Mohr

Document Summary

If variables are related, it is them is the cause of the other. Relationships: correlation is a topic that deals primarily with the magnitude and directions of relationships. Scatter plot: a graph of paired x and y values. Linear relationship: between the two variables is one in which the relationship can most accurately be represented by a straight-line curvilinear- curved line fits the points better than a straight line. Y=bx+a is the equation of a straight line: a=y intercept (where x is equal to zero, b= slope (change in y over change in x) Y prime means the predicted value of the y variable. Positive relationship: there is a direct relationship between the variables. Negative relationship: there is an inverse relationship between x and y. The slope tells us the sign of the relationship. Direct relationship exists between the two variables if the slope is positive because as x increases, y increases as well.