Sociology 1100: Statistics for the Social Sciences - Week 3 Review

These flashcards cover key concepts from the lecture notes on statistics for social sciences, focusing on the correlation coefficient, associations between variables, and factors that can distort data interpretations.

What does the correlation coefficient (r) measure?

The correlation coefficient (r) reflects the direction (positive or negative) and strength of a bivariate linear relationship.

What is a key characteristic of the correlation coefficient r?

The correlation coefficient r is unitless and is not affected by changes in the units of the variables.

Which factors can distort the interpretation of a correlation coefficient?

Outliers can both increase and decrease the correlation coefficient, affecting its interpretation.

What does it mean for a variable to be a suppressor variable?

A suppressor variable may obscure an observed association, masking a true relationship between the independent and dependent variables.

What does the term 'spurious association' refer to?

A spurious association refers to a situation where an apparent relationship between two variables is actually caused by a third variable.

What are mediating variables?

Mediating variables are those that explain the relationship between an independent variable (X) and a dependent variable (Y) through another variable (Z).

What is the significance of reverse causality?

Reverse causality refers to the situation where it is unclear whether X influences Y or Y influences X, often complicating causal interpretations.

What role do moderating variables play in relationships between variables?

Moderating variables affect the strength or direction of the relationship between an independent variable and a dependent variable, depending on another variable.