In introductory psychology statistics, what best describes a negative correlation between two variables when viewed in a scatterplot?

• A. As one variable increases, the other variable tends to increase, producing an upward trend in the points
• B. As one variable increases, the other variable tends to decrease, producing a downward trend in the points
• C. There is no systematic relationship; the points form a random cloud with no clear trend
• D. The two variables are causally related such that changes in one variable always produce changes in the other

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand what a correlation represents: it measures the strength and direction of a linear relationship between two variables.
2. Recall that a negative correlation means that as one variable increases, the other variable tends to decrease.
3. Visualize this relationship on a scatterplot: the points will tend to slope downward from left to right, showing a downward trend.
4. Contrast this with a positive correlation, where points slope upward, and with no correlation, where points are scattered randomly without a clear pattern.
5. Note that correlation does not imply causation; a negative correlation does not mean one variable causes the other to change, only that they move in opposite directions.