What would the scatter plot look like for data that produce a Pearson correlation coefficient of $r=\mathrm{+0.88}$?

• A. The points would form a perfect straight line with a negative slope.
• B. The points would be widely scattered with no apparent pattern.
• C. The points would form a tight cluster around a line with a strong negative slope.
• D. The points would form a tight cluster around a line with a strong positive slope.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Recall that the Pearson correlation coefficient \(r\) measures the strength and direction of a linear relationship between two variables.
2. Understand that \(r\) ranges from \(-1\) to \(+1\), where values close to \(+1\) indicate a strong positive linear relationship, values close to \(-1\) indicate a strong negative linear relationship, and values near \$0$ indicate little to no linear relationship.
3. Since \(r = +0.88\) is close to \(+1\), this suggests a strong positive linear relationship between the variables.
4. In a scatter plot, a strong positive correlation means the points will be clustered tightly around a line that slopes upward from left to right.
5. Therefore, the scatter plot would show points forming a tight cluster around a line with a strong positive slope, reflecting the high positive correlation.