positive correlation

(noun)

A relationship between two variables such that as one increases or decreases the other does the same. On a graph, a positive correlation will have a positive slope.

Related Terms

  • negative correlation
  • causation

Examples of positive correlation in the following topics:

  • Correlational Research

    • The strength, or degree, of a correlation ranges from -1 to +1 and therefore will be positive, negative, or zero.
    • Direction refers to whether the correlation is positive or negative.
    • In contrast, two correlations of .05 and .98 have the same direction (positive) but are very different in their strength.
    • A positive correlation, such as .8, would mean that both variables increase together.
    • Another popular example is that there is a strong positive correlation between ice cream sales and murder rates in the summer.
  • Introduction to Stress

    • Stress can be either positive (eustress) or negative (distress).
    • Eustress, or positive stress, on the other hand, is the positive emotional or cognitive response to stress that is healthy; it gives a feeling of fulfillment or happiness.
    • Eustress has a positive correlation with life satisfaction and hope because it fosters challenge and motivation toward a goal.
    • Psychological methods include cognitive therapy, meditation, and positive thinking, which work by reducing the response to stress.
  • Controversies in Intelligence and Standardized Testing

    • However, it is important to note that correlational studies only show a relationship between two factors: they give no indication about causation.
    • Again, even if intelligence scores correlate with job success, this does not mean that people with high intelligence will always be successful at work.
    • Researchers examined the correlation between the SAT exam and two other tests of intelligence and found a strong relationship between the results.
    • However, correlational studies provide information about a relationship, not about causation.
    • A 2005 study stated that IQ tests may contain cultural influences that reduce their validity as a measure of cognitive ability for Mexican-American students, indicating a weaker positive correlation relative to sampled white American students.
  • Cerebral Cortex

    • At times it has been theorized that brain size correlated positively with intelligence; it has also been suggested that surface area of cortex (basically, "wrinkliness" of the brain) rather than brain size that correlates most directly with intelligence.
    • Current research suggests that both of these may be at least partially true, but the degree to which they correlate is not clear.
  • Descriptive and Correlational Statistics

    • Research has shown that alcohol dependence correlates with depression.
    • Correlation does not necessarily prove causation.
    • As an example of a correlational study, research has shown that alcohol dependence correlates with depression.
    • But when the three are unequal, the distribution can become positively or negatively skewed.
    • If the mean is greater than the median, and the median is greater than the mode, the distribution will be positively skewed.
  • Attitude and Health

    • An attitude can be thought of as a positive or negative evaluation of people, objects, event, or ideas.
    • Research shows that optimism correlates with physical health, including a lower likelihood of cardiovascular disease, stroke, depression, and cancer.
    • It also correlates with emotional health, as optimists are more hopeful, have an increased sense of peace and well-being, and embrace change.
    • They are also more likely to embrace and build upon positive circumstances and situations, as these are expected to continue.
    • Although causality cannot always be determined, poor quality of life is often correlated with poor health, and high quality of life is often correlated with better health.
  • Personality Characteristics Beneficial to Change

    • Optimism, or a positive outlook, is associated with higher levels of hope and an increased sense of peace and well-being.
    • People who display this sort of dispositional optimism have many traits and characteristics in common, most of which build on their positive world view.
    • They are also more likely to embrace and build upon positive circumstances and situations, as these are believed to continue.
    • Researchers and scientists agree that optimism is highly correlated with psychological well-being, successful coping styles, and constructive problem-solving skills.
    • Identify traits correlated with an optimistic outlook that lead to an increased sense of well-being.
  • Nature vs. Nurture

    • Today, developmental psychologists rarely take such polarized positions (either/or) with regard to most aspects of development; instead, they investigate the relationship between innate and environmental influences (both/and).
    • Trait A shows a high sibling correlation but little heritability (illustrating the importance of environment).
    • Trait B shows a high heritability, since the correlation of the trait rises sharply with the degree of genetic similarity.
    • Trait C shows low heritability as well as low correlation generally, suggesting that the degree to which individuals display trait C has little to do with either genes or predictable environmental factors.
    • Typically, monozygotic twins will have a high correlation of sibling traits, while biological siblings will have less in common, and adoptive siblings will have less than that.
  • The Psychology of Recruiting and Selecting Employees

    • To find the best fit, managers create a list of relevant criteria composed of critical skills, behaviors, and attitudes for each position.
    • Industrial and organizational (I–O) psychologists use a variety of measures to select applicants who are the best fit for a position.
    • As an example, let's look at a job interview for a position as a banker.
    • This can be evaluated by examining correlations with other measures that purport to assess the same construct.
    • Criterion validity examines how well the construct correlates with one's behavior in the real world across multiple situations and manifestations.
  • Memory Distortions and Biases

    • ., is recalled less easily or is even forgotten) more quickly than emotion associated with positive memories.
    • When you experience illusory correlation, you inaccurately assume a relationship between two events related purely by coincidence.
    • This type of bias comes from the human tendency to see cause-and-effect relationships when there are none; remember, correlation does not imply causation.
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