Unit 19

STUDY GUIDE
STATISTICS & PROBABILITY | UNIT 19
Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient
Table of Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 2
Test Your Prerequisite Skills ........................................................................................................ 3
Objectives ...................................................................................................................................... 4
Lesson 1: Pearson’s Sample Correlation Coefficient
- Warm Up! ........................................................................................................................... 5
- Learn about It! ................................................................................................................... 6
- Let’s Practice! ..................................................................................................................... 8
- Check Your Understanding! ............................................................................................ 10
Lesson 2: Practice Problems
- Warm Up! ......................................................................................................................... 11
- Learn about It! ................................................................................................................. 12
- Let’s Practice! ................................................................................................................... 14
Lesson 3: Solving Problems Involving Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient
- Warm Up! ......................................................................................................................... 26
- Learn about It! ................................................................................................................. 26
- Let’s Practice! ................................................................................................................... 28
Challenge Yourself! ..................................................................................................................... 38
Performance Task ....................................................................................................................... 39
Wrap-up ....................................................................................................................................... 42
Key to Let’s Practice! .................................................................................................................... 43
References ................................................................................................................................... 44
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GRADE 11/12 | STATISTICS & PROBABILITY
UNIT 19
Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient

We have always been interested in investigating possible relationships between two
things.
Educators, for instance, may want to know how well the

scores of students in an entrance examination relate to their
class performance, or whether the number of hours a
student studies is related to his/her score on a particular
test.
Medical researchers, on the other hand, are interested to know

the relationship between caffeine consumption and heart-
related diseases, or whether the amount of protein consumed
per day is related to blood pressure.
These are some of the many interesting questions that can be answered by correlation
analysis. In the previous unit, we learned that a scatter plot gives a graphical estimate of
the strength of correlation that exists between two variables. But there are times when a
scatter plot cannot evidently show that a correlation exists between two variables,
especially when there is a very weak relationship between them. Thus, we need an
accurate quantitative interpretation of the scatter plot.
In this unit, we are going to explore how to quantitatively measure the correlation
between two variables using Pearson’s sample correlation coefficient.

STUDY GUIDE
Test Your Prerequisite Skills
 Identifying scales of measurement for variables

 Comparing absolute values
 Evaluating exponential expressions
 Finding the sum and product of rational numbers
 Performing a series of operations
Before you get started, answer the following items on a separate sheet of paper. This will
help you assess your prior knowledge and practice some skills that you will need in
studying the lessons in this unit. Show your complete solution.
1. Identify the scale of measurement of the following variables.

a. IQ score c. ranking of a sibling
b. speed of a car
2. Use , , or to make a true statement.

a. c.
b.
3. Evaluate the following exponential expressions.

a. c.
b.
4. Perform the indicated operations.

a. c.
b.

STUDY GUIDE
5. Solve the following.

a. d.
b. e.
c. f.
Objectives
At the end of this unit, you should be able to

 calculate Pearson’s sample correlation coefficient; and
 solve problems involving correlation analysis.

STUDY GUIDE
Lesson 1: Pearson’s Sample Correlation Coefficient
Warm Up!
Scatter Plot
Materials Needed: pen, paper
Instructions:
Read the following situation then answer the questions that follow.
A random sample of five students from a statistics class was asked about the
number of hours they spent in studying and the score they obtained in a 10-point
exam. The scatter plot for the data obtained in the study is illustrated below.
12
10
Exam Score
8
6
4
2
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Number of Hours Spent on Studying
1. Based on the scatter plot, what type of relationship exists between the two
variables?
2. How would you describe the strength of relationship between the two variables?
3. What conclusion can you make on the relationship between the number of hours
spent in studying and the exam scores obtained by the students?

STUDY GUIDE
Learn about It!
By examining the scatter plot, we can roughly estimate if a relationship exists between
two variables. The scatter plot shown in Warm Up! suggests a positive correlation; it
indicates that scores in the exam are associated with number of hours spent in studying.
However, the type of relationship that exists between two variables does not indicate
much about the strength or degree of their correlation. Fortunately, we have a statistical
measure that will help us determine the degree to which two variables are related.
To quantitatively measure the strength of correlation of two variables, we use the

Pearson’s sample correlation coefficient, denoted by , which is named after
statistician Karl Pearson, who pioneered research in this area.
If and are the two variables being observed, then the Pearson’s sample correlation
coefficient (or simply correlation coefficient or Pearson’s ) is given by
where
= number of paired observations;
= sum of products of paired and values;
= sum of squared values;
= sum of values; and
= sum of values.
The correlation coefficient satisfies , that is, is neither greater than 1 nor less
than 1.
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STUDY GUIDE
The sign of the correlation coefficient indicates the type of relationship between two
variables. A positive value indicates a positive relationship; a negative value indicates a
negative relationship. indicates a perfect positive correlation. In contrast,
indicates a perfect negative correlation. If , then there is no correlation
between two variables.
In terms of the degree or strength of correlation, the closer the absolute value of to 1,
the greater the strength of correlation. On the other hand, the closer the absolute value of
to 0, the weaker the strength of correlation. Thus, we can say that 0.95 and 0.95 are
equal in strength (both are strong) and so are 0.15 and 0.15 (both are weak).
To interpret the value of the correlation coefficient , the following correlation scale is
used.
Correlation Coefficient Qualitative Interpretation
Perfect
Very high
Moderately high
Moderately low
Very low
No correlation
For instance, if , then using the correlation scale, we can conclude that there is a
moderately low positive correlation between the two variables.
Note that Pearson’s sample correlation coefficient can only be used if the given variables
are in the interval or ratio level. However, both variables do not need to be measured on
the same scale, that is, one variable can be in the ratio level and the other one can be in
the interval level.

STUDY GUIDE
Let’s Practice!
Example 1: Suppose age and height are two variables under study. Can we use Pearson’s
sample correlation coefficient to determine the relationship between the two
variables? Explain.
Solution: Age and height are both measured at the ratio level. Thus, we can calculate
the correlation between the two variables using Pearson’s sample correlation
coefficient.
Try It Yourself!
Suppose savings and expenditures are two variables under study. Can we use
Pearson’s sample correlation coefficient to determine the relationship between the
two variables? Explain.
Example 2: The amount of pain experienced by a patient and the amount of anesthesia
injected are two variables under study. Is it appropriate to use Pearson’s
sample correlation coefficient to determine the relationship between the two
variables? Explain.
Solution: The amount of pain experienced by a patient is measured at the ordinal level
because pain can be ranked on a scale of 1 to 10. Meanwhile, the amount of
anesthesia injected is measured at the ratio level. Since one of the variables
is not measured at the interval or ratio level, we cannot use Pearson’s sample
correlation coefficient to find the correlation between the two variables.

STUDY GUIDE
Try It Yourself!
The ranking of honor students in class and IQ scores are two variables under study.
Is it appropriate to use Pearson’s sample correlation coefficient to determine the
relationship between the two variables? Explain.
Example 3: Suppose . Describe the correlation between the two variables under
study in terms of direction and strength.
Solution: The sign of indicates the direction of correlation while the absolute value of
indicates the strength of correlation. Thus, if , then there is a
moderately low positive correlation between the two variables under study.
Try It Yourself!
Suppose . Describe the correlation between the two variables under study
in terms of direction and strength.
Real-World Problems
Example 4: A company manager gave a test to 15 job applicants

for the position of typist. If the correlation coefficient
of typing speed and number of errors committed by
the applicants is 0.63, describe the direction and
strength of correlation between the two variables.
Solution: A positive value of indicates a positive relationship between two variables.

Based on the correlation scale, a coefficient of 0.63 indicates a moderately
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STUDY GUIDE
high correlation. Thus, we can conclude that there is a moderately high

positive correlation between typing speed and number of errors committed
by the applicants.
Try It Yourself!
A human resource personnel would like to know if there is a

relationship between the ages of 10 employees in the company and
their corresponding efficiency rating. If the correlation coefficient of
the two variables is 0.33, describe the direction and strength of
correlation between the two variables.
Check Your Understanding!
1. Is it appropriate to use Pearson’s sample correlation coefficient to determine the

relationship between the number of years of education and income? Explain.
2. The correlation coefficient between the age of a car and its mileage per liter of
gasoline is 0.65. What does this value mean?
3. A team of researchers wants to determine if grades in college are related to first job
salary. If the correlation coefficient of the two variables is 0.55, describe the
direction and strength of correlation between the two variables.
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Lesson 2: Practice Problems
Warm Up!
Fear of Pearson
Instructions:
Read the following situation then complete the table that follows by calculating the
required values.
A random sample of five students from a statistics class was asked about the
number of hours they spent in studying and the score they obtained in a 10-point
exam. The results are shown in the following table.
Number of Hours Exam Score

Student
Spent in Studying
A 3 7
B 2 5
C 4 8
D 3 6
E 6 10
Sum
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STUDY GUIDE
Learn about It!
In Warm Up!, you just demonstrated the first step in obtaining the Pearson’s sample
correlation coefficient—constructing a table. The formula for Pearson’s looks somewhat
complicated but using a table to compute the values makes it easier to determine the
value of .
As stated in the previous lesson, the scatter plot gives us a rough estimate of the
relationship that exists between two variables. With the aid of the Pearson’s sample
correlation coefficient, we can determine specifically the direction and strength of
correlation between the and variables.
Recall that the formula for finding Pearson’s sample correlation coefficient is given by
where
= number of paired observations;
= sum of products of paired and values;
= sum of values; and
= sum of values.
To illustrate the procedure in obtaining Pearson’s sample correlation coefficient, let us

examine the relationship between the number of hours spent in studying and exam
scores obtained by the five students in a 10-point exam, in Warm Up!. Observe that
and are both in the ratio level. Thus, we can use Pearson’s to measure the strength of
correlation.
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STUDY GUIDE
To apply our formula, we must first find the sums of , , , , and . The values in the
last row of the table represent these sums: , , , , and
.
Substitute the obtained values into the formula for . Then round the value of to three
decimal places.
Thus, the Pearson’s sample correlation coefficient is . Notice that there are no units
associated with , and its value will remain unchanged if the and values are switched.
Using the correlation scale, we can conclude that there is a very high positive correlation
between the number of hours spent in studying and exam scores obtained by the
students.
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STUDY GUIDE
Let’s Practice!
Example 1: The following table shows the grades of five students in Mathematics and
English. Determine the correlation coefficient between the two variables.
Grade in Mathematics Grade in English

Student
A 90 94
B 85 82
C 79 88
D 83 85
E 86 85
Solution: To solve for the correlation coefficient, construct the following table.

Student
A 90 94
B 85 82
C 79 88
D 83 85
E 86 85
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STUDY GUIDE
Complete the table by calculating the values required in each column. Square
all entries in the column then write the answers under the column.

Student
A 90 94 8100
B 85 82 7225
C 79 88 6241
D 83 85 6889
E 86 85 7396
Similarly, square all entries in the column then write the answers under the
column.

Student
A 90 94 8100 8836
B 85 82 7225 6724
C 79 88 6241 7744
D 83 85 6889 7225
E 86 85 7396 7225
Finally, multiply the paired entries in the and columns then write the
answers under the column.

Student
A 90 94 8100 8836 8460
B 85 82 7225 6724 6970
C 79 88 6241 7744 6952
D 83 85 6889 7225 7055
E 86 85 7396 7225 7310
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Calculate the sum of the entries in each column to obtain , , , ,

and .
Grade in
Grade in
Student Mathematics
English
A 90 94 8100 8836 8460
B 85 82 7225 6724 6970
C 79 88 6241 7744 6952
D 83 85 6889 7225 7055
E 86 85 7396 7225 7310
Substitute the sums into the formula for the correlation coefficient. Then,
round off the answer to three decimal places.
Since = 0.416, there is a moderately low positive correlation between the

students’ grades in Mathematics and English.
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STUDY GUIDE
Try It Yourself!
The following table shows the heights (in inches) and weights (in pounds) of five
children. Determine the correlation coefficient of the two variables. Then, interpret
the result.
Child Height Weight

A 58 105
B 57 87
C 52 80
D 50 60
E 56 72
Example 2: A teacher wants to find out if the number of absences and the final grades of
eight randomly selected students from a physics class are correlated. Using
the following data, calculate the correlation coefficient between the two
variables. Then, interpret the result.
Number of Absences Final Grade

Student
A 5 81
B 3 87
C 14 42
D 8 75
E 10 56
F 7 92
G 9 79
H 6 84
Solution: Construct the additional three columns needed to solve for then complete
the table.
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STUDY GUIDE
Number of Final Grade

Student
Absences
A 5 81 25 6561 405
B 3 87 9 7569 261
C 14 42 196 1764 588
D 8 75 64 5625 600
E 10 56 100 3136 560
F 7 92 49 8464 644
G 9 79 81 6241 711
H 6 84 36 7056 504
Substitute the sums into the formula for the correlation coefficient.
Since , there is a very high negative correlation between the

number of absences and the students’ final grades.
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STUDY GUIDE
Try It Yourself!
A guidance counselor is interested in the relationship between proximity to school

and participation in extracurricular activities. He collects the data on distance from
home to school (in kilometers) and number of clubs joined of a sample of eight
Grade 12 students. Using the following data, calculate the correlation coefficient
between the two variables. Then, interpret the result.
Distance to School Number of Clubs Joined

Student
A 8.05 4
B 4.83 2
C 9.66 6
D 3.22 3
E 4.83 2
F 11.27 2
G 12.87 8
H 12.87 7
Example 3: The operations manager of Rowell’s Café tabulated the monthly advertising
expenses and sales (in ten thousands) of the company for the last 12
months. Is there a correlation between the monthly advertising expenses
and sales of the restaurant?
Month Advertising Expenses Sales

1 15 123
2 12 111
3 18 188
4 20 210
5 12 112
6 10 105
7 13 166
8 21 196
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STUDY GUIDE
9 9 103
10 11 119
11 14 153
12 24 238
Solution: Construct the additional three columns needed to solve for , then complete
the table.
Advertising Sales
Month
Expenses
1 15 123 225 15 129 1845
2 12 111 144 12 321 1332
3 18 188 324 35 344 3384
4 20 210 400 44 100 4200
5 12 112 144 12 544 1344
6 10 105 100 11 025 1050
7 13 166 169 27 556 2158
8 21 196 441 38 416 4116
9 9 103 81 10 609 927
10 11 119 121 14 161 1309
11 14 153 196 23 409 2142
12 24 238 576 56 644 5712
Since , there is a very high positive correlation between the

advertising expenses and sales of Rowell’s Café.
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STUDY GUIDE
Try It Yourself!
A businessman would like to determine if there is a relationship between the size of

a store and profit earned. The following data gathered from 12 storeowners pertain
to the size of the store in square meters and the profit earned in thousand pesos. Is
there a correlation between the two variables?
Store Store Size Profit

A 34 19
B 21 14
C 26 16
D 15 8
E 27 15
F 11 6
G 39 21
H 31 22
I 22 15
J 27 17
K 12 7
L 40 22
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STUDY GUIDE
More Real-World Problems
Example 4: A new special education teacher

wants to know if there is a
correlation between reading and
attention abilities. She collects data
from eight of her students on their
reading and attention abilities, with
a higher score indicating greater ability. Compute the Pearson’s sample
correlation coefficient for the following data. Then, interpret the result.
Student Reading Ability Attention Ability

A 26 32
B 15 24
C 50 31
D 42 22
E 23 41
F 17 33
G 22 35
H 50 41
Solution: Construct the additional three columns needed to solve for , then complete
the table.
Reading Attention
Student
Ability Ability
A 26 32 676 1024 832
B 15 24 225 576 360
C 50 31 2500 961 1550
D 42 22 1764 484 924
E 23 41 529 1681 943
F 17 33 289 1089 561
G 22 35 484 1225 770
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STUDY GUIDE
H 50 41 2500 1681 2050
Since , there is a very low positive correlation between the students’

reading and attention abilities.
Try It Yourself!
An architect wants to determine the relationship between the

height (in feet) of a building and the number of floors in the
building. Data from a sample of eight buildings are shown
below. Compute the Pearson’s sample correlation coefficient.
Then, interpret the result
Number of
Building Height
Floors
A 483 38
B 509 35
C 518 39
D 533 40
E 579 36
F 612 43
G 613 30
H 632 38
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STUDY GUIDE
1. A sociologist collected data from a sample of five adults on how many years they
have lived in their neighborhood and how many of their neighbors they consider as
friends. Determine the correlation coefficient between the two variables. Then
interpret the result.
Number of Years in the Number of Neighbors

Adult
Neighborhood Considered as Friends
A 2 2
B 6 5
C 7 3
D 2 4
E 9 6
2. The following table shows the number of weeks six persons have worked at an
automobile inspection station and the number of cars they have inspected on a
given day. Is there a correlation between the two variables?
Number of Weeks Number of Cars

Employee Employed Inspected
A 3 14
B 8 22
C 10 24
D 2 15
E 6 16
F 13 22
3. A hospital administrator wants to see if there is a relationship between the number

of licensed beds and the number of staffed beds in rural hospitals. Using the
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STUDY GUIDE
following data for a given day, calculate the correlation coefficient between the two
variables. Then interpret the result.
Number of Licensed Beds Number of Staffed Beds

Hospital
A 167 116
B 98 78
C 206 101
D 183 139
E 173 160
F 30 30
G 142 110
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STUDY GUIDE
Lesson 3: Solving Problems Involving Pearson’s

Correlation Coefficient
Warm Up!
Check the Relationship!
Instructions:
Determine which among the following statements are appropriate for use of the
Pearson’s sample correlation coefficient.
 The expected GWA of a student whose number of absences is 11

 The proportion of the number of mistakes made in a test
 The correlation between vocabulary and reading speed among children in a
community
 The final grades of 15 randomly selected students in statistics
 The predicted annual income from the knowledge of annual savings
 The relationship between IQ scores and grades of honor students in a large
university
 The estimated number of cars inspected by someone who has been working for
three weeks
Learn about It!
Two out of the seven statements in Warm Up! represent an opportunity to examine the
correlation between two variables using Pearson’s sample correlation coefficient. In the
previous lessons, we learned how to use Pearson’s in determining the direction and
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STUDY GUIDE
strength of relationship between two variables. Before performing the procedures that we
have discussed, it is important to first recognize when a situation calls for the use of
Pearson’s as a measure of association.
Let us recall the steps in obtaining the Pearson’s sample correlation coefficient of two
variables and variables. These can be summarized as follows:
1. Make a table containing all values of and .

2. Find the values of , , , , and . Place these values in the
corresponding columns of the table.
 Get the sum of all entries in the column to obtain . Similarly, get by
taking the sum of entries in the column.
 Construct the column by getting the square of each entry in the column.
Then get its sum to obtain .
 Construct the column by getting the square of each entry in the column.
Then get its sum to obtain
 Construct the column by getting the product of each paired and . Then
get its sum to obtain .
3. After completing the table, substitute the obtained values into the formula for .
where is the number of paired observations.

4. Use the correlation scale to interpret the correlation coefficient.
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STUDY GUIDE
Let’s Practice!
Example 1: The following table shows the prices per kilogram of chicken and fish for the
past 7 months in Q Market. Is there a correlation between the prices of
chicken and fish in the market?
Price of Chicken Price of Fish

Month
1 138 110
2 128 99
3 130 103
4 137 102
5 125 110
6 140 97
7 136 101
the table.
Price of Price of Fish

Month
Chicken
1 138 110 19044 12100 15180
2 128 99 16384 9 801 12672
3 130 103 16900 10609 13390
4 137 102 18769 10404 13974
5 125 110 15625 12100 13750
6 140 97 19600 9409 13580
7 136 101 18486 10201 13736
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STUDY GUIDE
Since , there is a moderately low negative correlation between the

prices per kilogram of chicken and fish.
Try It Yourself!
The following table shows the ages and systolic pressures of 7 adults. Is there a
correlation between the two variables?
Adult Age Blood Pressure

1 55 146
2 41 124
3 71 159
4 35 117
5 62 148
6 46 127
7 54 149
Example 2: A basketball coach wants to determine if there is a correlation between the

time his players spent practicing free throw shots (in minutes) and their free
throw percentage across five games. The following table shows data from 10
of his players. Calculate the correlation coefficient between the two variables.
Then, interpret the result.
Time Spent Practicing Free Throw Percentage in Five

Player
Free Throws Games
A 60 63
B 30 36
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STUDY GUIDE
C 45 20
D 80 90
E 75 10
F 20 10
G 50 67
H 90 40
I 75 20
J 45 12
the table.
Time Spent
Free Throw
Player Practicing
Percentage
A 60 63 3600 3969 3780
B 30 36 900 1296 1080
C 45 20 2025 400 900
D 80 90 6400 8100 7200
E 75 10 5625 100 750
F 20 10 400 100 200
G 50 67 2500 4489 3350
H 90 40 8100 1600 3600
I 75 20 5625 400 1500
J 45 12 2025 144 540
Sum
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STUDY GUIDE
Since , there is a moderately low positive correlation between the

time spent by players practicing free throws and their free throw percentage.
Try It Yourself!
A business development officer wants to determine if there is a correlation

between the sales and profit (in million pesos) earned by Q Company in the last 10
months. Using the following data, calculate the correlation coefficient between the
two variables. Then, interpret the result.
Month Sales Profit

January 151 19
February 149 24
March 139 17
April 129 16
May 121 18
June 119 12
July 111 19
August 114 22
September 130 17
October 150 25
Example 3: The following table shows the average daily temperature (in degrees Celsius)
in Quipper City and the sales (in thousand pesos) of Elijah’s Coolers Store. Is
there a correlation between the temperature and sales?
Day Average Temperature Sales

1 38.7 15.4
2 37.4 10.8
3 36.5 12.3
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4 36.9 10.4
5 34.4 12.0
6 35.5 11.5
7 36.8 12.9
8 34.2 10.0
9 36.0 13.1
10 35.3 13.0
11 37.0 10.6
12 38.1 17.1
13 36.7 12.4
14 35.5 12.0
the table.
Average
Sales
Day Temperature
1 38.7 15.4 1497.69 237.16 595.98

2 37.4 10.8 1398.76 116.64 403.92
3 36.5 12.3 1332.25 151.29 448.95
4 36.9 10.4 1361.61 108.16 383.76
5 34.4 12.0 1183.36 144.00 412.80
6 35.5 11.5 1260.25 132.25 408.25
7 36.8 12.9 1354.24 166.41 474.72
8 34.2 10.0 1169.64 100.00 342.00
9 36.0 13.1 1296.00 171.61 471.60
10 35.3 13.0 1246.09 169.00 458.90
11 37.0 10.6 1369.00 112.36 392.20
12 38.1 17.1 1451.61 292.41 651.51
13 36.7 12.4 1346.89 153.76 455.08
14 35.5 12.0 1260.25 144.00 426.00
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Since , there is a moderately high positive correlation between the

average daily temperature and the sales of Elijah’s store.
Try It Yourself!
The following table shows the scores obtained by a group of 14 students in a

college entrance examination and a verbal comprehension test. Is there a
correlation between the two scores?
Verbal Comprehension Test

Student Entrance Exam Score
Score
A 51 48
B 27 33
C 69 44
D 50 48
E 48 39
F 64 49
G 48 36
H 48 48
I 62 51
J 31 31
K 63 52
L 42 40
M 34 27
N 65 49
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STUDY GUIDE
More Real-World Problems
Example 4: A school nurse wants to determine if there is a correlation

between the height and weight of students. The table below
shows the height and weight given in cm and kg, respectively, of
10 students in a class. Calculate the correlation coefficient
between these two measures. Then, interpret the result.
Student Height Weight

A 134 53.28
B 145 60.90
C 133 55.86
D 120 55.40
E 112 47.04
F 129 53.48
G 138 57.56
H 126 51.12
I 111 46.56
J 109 44.78
the table.
Height
Student Weight
A 134 53.28 17956 2838.7584 7139.52
B 145 60.90 21025 3708.8100 8830.50
C 133 55.86 17689 3120.3396 7429.38
D 120 55.40 14400 3069.1600 6648.00
E 112 47.04 12544 2212.7616 5268.48
F 129 53.48 16641 2860.1104 6898.92
G 138 57.56 19044 3313.1536 7943.28
H 126 51.12 15876 2613.2544 6441.12
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STUDY GUIDE
I 111 46.56 12321 2167.8336 5168.16

J 109 44.78 11881 2005.2484 4881.02
Since , there is a very high positive correlation between the height

and weight of students.
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Try It Yourself!
A statistics professor believes that knowledge of math is

essential for students to do well in a statistics course. At
the start of the semester, she administered a
standardized test of general math. Then she compared
these scores to the final grades students received for the
course. Calculate the correlation coefficient between the
two variables. Then, interpret the result.
Student Test Score Final Grade

A 89 93
B 84 91
C 79 80
D 74 77
E 70 73
F 68 72
G 69 74
H 60 65
I 60 52
J 49 51
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STUDY GUIDE
1. A communication specialist interviewed a sample of six children regarding the

number of books they had read during the past year and the number of hours they
had spent watching television on a daily basis. Using the following data, calculate
the correlation coefficient between the two variables. Then interpret the result
Number of Hours Spent

Child Number of Books Read
Watching TV
A 0 3
B 7 1
C 2 2
D 1 2
E 5 0
F 4 1
2. An economist is interested in studying the relationship between length of

unemployment and job seeking among accountants. He asked a sample of eight
employed accountants about the number of weeks they have been unemployed
and have sought for a job. Compute the Pearson’s sample correlation coefficient for
these data. Then interpret the result.
Number of Weeks Number of Weeks

Accountant
Unemployed Seeking a Job
A 3 9
B 8 4
C 6 5
D 12 3
E 2 6
F 11 3
G 3 7
H 4 1
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STUDY GUIDE
3. A researcher set out to determine whether suicide and homicide rates in a province
are correlated. Using available data for a recent year, he compared the following
sample of 10 cities with respect to the rates (per 100 000) of suicide and homicide.
What is the strength and direction of correlation between suicide and homicide
rates?
Area Suicide Rate Homicide Rate

A 20.1 22.4
B 22.5 27.6
C 23.6 15.2
D 10.8 12.0
E 13.9 12.5
F 21.3 19.3
G 11.7 13.0
H 13.6 16.0
I 15.4 17.6
J 18.0 20.6
Challenge Yourself!
1. Which of the values 0.76 and 0.45 indicates a stronger correlation? Explain.
2. Give examples of two variables that are positively correlated and two variables that
are negatively correlated.
3. A study is conducted to determine the relationship between a driver’s age and the
number of accidents he/she had over a 2-year period. What is meant when the
relationship between the two variables is negative?
38

STUDY GUIDE
4. The table below shows the number of hours eight employees have spent working
and the number of defective products they have made.
Number of Defective
Number of Hours Worked
Employee Products
A 1.0 13
B 1.5 14
C 2.5 16
D 2.1 4
E 3.5 15
F 4.5 20
G 4.0 18
H 5.5 18
a. What is the correlation between the two variables?

b. Notice that the data for Employee D appear to be considerably different from
that of the other employees. Such observations are known as outliers, which
can result to errors in analyzing data. What is the correlation between the two
variables if data from Employee D are removed? Does this change in the data
greatly change the interpretation of the data?
Performance Task
Obesity among adolescents is a major concern because it puts them at risk for serious
medical problems. You are a bariatric physician and you believe that a major issue related
to this is that adolescents these days spend too much time on social media and not
enough time being active. To prove this, use a sample of at least 20 students and collect
data regarding the number of hours they spend on social media per day and their weight
in pounds. Use the following table:
39

STUDY GUIDE
Number of Hours Spent on Weight

Student
Social Media
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
Use the results you obtained to determine if a correlation exists between the number of
hours spent on social media and weight of adolescents. Do the following:
1. Construct a table with the following columns: , , , , and .

2. Calculate the correlation coefficient between the two variables and .
3. Interpret the results of the study.
4. Make a recommendation on how students can regulate their use of social media
and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
40

STUDY GUIDE
You are to present your study in a medical forum so make sure it is organized and shows
accurate information and correct computations.
Performance Task Rubric
Below Needs Successful Exemplary

Criteria Expectation Improvement Performance Performance
(0–49%) (50–74%) (75–99%) (100%)
A significant The The The
amount of information information information
Completeness
information provided in provided in provided is
& Reliability
is missing. the report is the report iscomplete and
of
complete but complete and reliable, and
Information
unreliable. reliable. has a clear
basis.
There is a There are a All All
significant few errors in computations computations
number of the are correct, are correct
Accuracy of
errors in computation, and the data and with
Computation
computations but there is no are analyzed complete
and Analysis
that lead to clear basis in properly. solution. The
of Data
wrong the analysis of data are
analysis of data. analyzed with
data. clear basis.
Data are not Data are Data are Data are
organized organized organized organized
properly. properly but properly but properly. All
Organization some few information
of Data/Ideas necessary information needed in the
parts are needed in the analysis are
missing. analysis are present.
not present.
41

STUDY GUIDE
Wrap-up
Correlation Pearson's sample Used for interval or

Coefficient correlation coefficient 𝑟 ratio data
Key Terms/Formulas
Correlation
Formula Descriptions
Coefficient
 = number of paired
observations
 = sum of products of
paired and values
 = sum of squared
Pearson’s
values
 = sum of squared
values
 = sum of values
 = sum of values
42

STUDY GUIDE
Key to Let’s Practice!

Lesson 1
1. We can use Pearson’s sample correlation coefficient since savings and expenditures
are both measured at the ratio level.
2. We cannot use Pearson’s sample correlation coefficient since one of the variables
(i.e., the ranking of honor students) is measured at the ordinal level.
3. There is a moderately low negative correlation between the two variables.
4. There is a moderately low negative correlation between the two variables.
Lesson 2
1. (very high positive correlation)
2. (moderately high positive correlation)
4. (very low negative correlation)
Lesson 3
2. (moderately low positive correlation)
43

STUDY GUIDE
References
Acelajado, Maxima J., Rene R. Belecina, and Basilia E. Blay. Mathematics for the New
Millennium. Makati: Diwa Scholastic Press, Inc. 1999.
Bluman, Allan G. Elementary Statistics: A Step By Step Approach. New York: The McGraw-Hill
Companies, Inc., 2000.
Levin, Jack and James Alan Fox. Elementary Statistics in Social Research. Boston, MA:
Pearson Education, Inc., 2011
Runyon, Richard P., Kay A. Coleman, and David J. Pittenger. Fundamentals of Behavioral
Statistics. USA: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2000.
Statistics Laerd. “Pearson Product-Moment Correlation.” Accessed October 21, 2018.

https://statistics.laerd.com/statistical-guides/pearson-correlation-coefficient-
statistical-guide.php
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STUDY GUIDE

STATISTICS & PROBABILITY | UNIT 19

Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient

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Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient

Educators, for instance, may want to know how well the

Medical researchers, on the other hand, are interested to know

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Test Your Prerequisite Skills

 Identifying scales of measurement for variables

1. Identify the scale of measurement of the following variables.

2. Use , , or to make a true statement.

3. Evaluate the following exponential expressions.

4. Perform the indicated operations.

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5. Solve the following.

At the end of this unit, you should be able to

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Lesson 1: Pearson’s Sample Correlation Coefficient

Materials Needed: pen, paper

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Learn about It!

To quantitatively measure the strength of correlation of two variables, we use the

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Example 4: A company manager gave a test to 15 job applicants

Solution: A positive value of indicates a positive relationship between two variables.

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high correlation. Thus, we can conclude that there is a moderately high

A human resource personnel would like to know if there is a

Check Your Understanding!

1. Is it appropriate to use Pearson’s sample correlation coefficient to determine the

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Lesson 2: Practice Problems

Materials Needed: pen, paper

Number of Hours Exam Score

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Learn about It!

To illustrate the procedure in obtaining Pearson’s sample correlation coefficient, let us

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Grade in Mathematics Grade in English

Grade in Mathematics Grade in English

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Grade in Mathematics Grade in English

Grade in Mathematics Grade in English

Grade in Mathematics Grade in English

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Calculate the sum of the entries in each column to obtain , , , ,

Since = 0.416, there is a moderately low positive correlation between the

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Child Height Weight

Number of Absences Final Grade

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Number of Final Grade

Since , there is a very high negative correlation between the

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A guidance counselor is interested in the relationship between proximity to school