Question

Imee has conducted a correlational study on depression and unemployment. she found that as the number of months of unemployment increases, feelings of depression increase. both variables in this study increase meaning there is a _____ correlation between unemployment and depression.

Answer 1

This means there is a positive correlation between unemployment and depression. 

Positive correlation refers to the phenomenon where an increase in one variable is associated with an increase another variable; or a decrease in one variable is linked  to a decrease in another variable. It is simply a relationship between two variables when their values increase or decrease together.

Besides the example in the question, another example of positive correlation is reading ability and age. Up to adolescence, reading ability increases as age increases and decreases as age decreases, indicating a positive correlation between age and reading level.

Answer 2

The correlation between unemployment and depression is a positive correlation, based on the results of the study. A positive correlation refers to a relationship between two variables where they exhibit a linear association. This means that they move in tandem together. An increase in one variable shows an increase in the other, and a decrease in one will show a decrease in the other.