Testing for Correlation and Bivariate Regression
Testing for Correlation and Bivariate Regression
Week 8: Correlation and Bivariate Regression
Correlation tests are some of the most widely used tests; unfortunately, they are also some of the most misinterpreted tests. The term correlation is frequently used in a colloquial sense, but has a very specific definition within the context of statistics. As a critical consumer of research, after this week you will be able to properly interpret the strengths and weaknesses of this specific test.
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Perhaps the most exciting part of this week’s activities is the introduction to ordinary least squares regression. This form of linear regression is frequently referred to as the “workhorse” of the social sciences, and for good reason. It is one of the most widely used statistical tests.
In this week, you will examine correlation and bivariate regression. In your examination you will construct research questions, evaluate research design, and analyze results related to correlation and bivariate regression.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
- Construct research questions
- Evaluate research design through research questions
- Analyze correlation and bivariate regression
- Analyze measures for correlation and bivariate regression
- Analyze significance of correlation and bivariate regression
- Analyze results for correlation and bivariate regression testing
- Analyze assumptions of correlation and bivariate regression
- Analyze implications for social change
- Evaluate research related to correlation and bivariate regression
Learning Resources
REQUIRED READINGS
Frankfort-Nachmias, C., & Leon-Guerrero, A. (2018). Social statistics for a diverse society (8th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
- Chapter 12, “Regression and Correlation” (pp. 325-371)
Wagner, III, W. E. (2020). Using IBM® SPSS® statistics for research methods and social science statistics (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
- Chapter 8, “Correlation and Regression Analysis”
Document: Walden University: Research Design Alignment Table
DATASETS
Document: Data Set 2014 General Social Survey (dataset file)
Use this dataset to complete this week’s Discussion.
Note: You will need the SPSS software to open this dataset.
REQUIRED MEDIA
Laureate Education (Producer). (2016b). Correlation and bivariate regression [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 9 minutes.
In this media program, Dr. Matt Jones demonstrates correlation and bivariate regression using the SPSS software.
OPTIONAL RESOURCES
Correlation
Klingenberg, B. (2016). Correlation game. Retrieved from https://istats.shinyapps.io/guesscorr/
Use the following app/weblink for an interactive visual display of correlation slopes.
Regression
Klingenberg, B. (2016). Explore linear regression. Retrieved from https://istats.shinyapps.io/ExploreLinReg/
Use the following app/weblink for an interactive visual display of regression slopes.
Skill Builder: Interpreting Correlation and Regression Coefficients
To access these Skill Builders, navigate back to your Blackboard Course Home page, and locate “Skill Builders” in the left navigation pane. From there, click on the relevant Skill Builder link for this week.
You are encouraged to click through these and all Skill Builders to gain additional practice with these concepts. Doing so will bolster your knowledge of the concepts you’re learning this week and throughout the course.
Assignment: Testing for Correlation and Bivariate Regression
You had the chance earlier in the week to perform an article critique on correlation and simple linear regression and obtain peer feedback. Hopefully you are excited about the potential these tests hold; equally important is that you recognize some of their weaknesses. Now, it is once again time to put all of that good brainstorming to use and answer a social research question with the correlation and simple linear regression. As you begin the Assignment, be sure and pay close attention to the assumptions of the test. Specifically, make sure that your variables are metric level variables that can easily be interpreted in these tests.
For this Assignment, you will examine correlation and bivariate regression testing.
To prepare for this Assignment:
- Review this week’s Learning Resources and media program related to regression and correlation.
- Using the SPSS software, open the Afrobarometer dataset or the High School Longitudinal Study dataset (whichever you choose) found in the Learning Resources for this week.
- Based on the dataset you chose, construct a research question that can be answered with a Pearson correlation and bivariate regression.
- Once you perform your correlation and bivariate regression analysis, review Chapter 11 of the Wagner text to understand how to copy and paste your output into your Word document.
For this Assignment:
Write a 2- to 3-paragraph analysis of your correlation and bivariate regression results for each research question. Do not forget to evaluate if the correlation and bivariate regression assumptions are met and report the effect size. In your analysis, display the data for the output. Based on your results, provide an explanation of what the implications of social change might be.
Use proper APA format, citations, and referencing for your analysis, research question, and display of output.
By Day 7