GCSE Statistics · key term

Negative correlation

Definition

An association in which larger values of one variable tend to occur with smaller values of the other.

Used by Edexcel

Specification 2e.01, 2e.06, 2e.07 · Paper 1, Paper 2

A relationship in which larger values of one variable tend to occur with smaller values of the other.
With negative correlation, larger x-values tend to go with smaller y-values. The pattern slopes downwards from top left to bottom right. Car age and car value provide an example: as a car gets older, its value tends to decrease.
Revise: Correlation vocabulary
An association in which higher values in one variable tend to occur with lower values in the other variable.
Revise: Interpreting Spearman's rank

1
Interpret the coefficient using the variables in the question: do not stop at ‘positive correlation’ or ‘negative correlation’.
2
Compare strength by closeness to −1 or +1, not by which signed number is larger. A negative correlation can be stronger than a positive one.

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