correlation
/,kɔri'leiʃn/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A statistical relationship between two or more variables: A connection where systematic changes in one variable are consistently associated with systematic changes in another. This does not imply that one change causes the other.
- A specific statistical measure: A number, typically between -1 and +1, that quantifies the degree and direction of the linear relationship between two variables.
- A mutual or reciprocal connection: A situation where two or more things are related or connected in a way that is often complementary or interdependent.
Examples of Usage
- Noun:
- Researchers studied the correlation between exercise frequency and heart health.
- The correlation coefficient of +0.85 indicates a strong positive relationship.
- There is a clear correlation between investment in education and a country's economic development.
Advanced Usage
"Correlation does not imply causation": A fundamental principle in statistics and research, warning that just because two variables are correlated, it does not mean one causes the other.
- The study found a correlation between ice cream sales and drowning incidents, but this is likely due to a third variable (hot weather), not causation.
"Spurious correlation": A relationship between two variables that appears to be causal but is actually coincidental or caused by a confounding factor.
- The apparent correlation between the number of pirates and global warming is a classic example of a spurious correlation.
Variants and Related Words
- Correlate (verb): To have a mutual relationship or connection.
- Stress levels often correlate with workload.
- Correlate (noun): Either of two related or complementary things.
- Smoking is a known correlate of lung disease.
- Correlative (adjective): Having a mutual relationship.
- They studied correlative trends in the data.
- Correlation coefficient (noun phrase): The specific numerical measure of correlation, such as Pearson's r.
Synonyms
- Association: A connection or relationship between things.
- Relationship: The way in which two or more things are connected.
- Link: A connection between two or more things.
- Interdependence: The dependence of two or more things on each other.
Related Phrases
- Positive correlation: A relationship where both variables increase or decrease together.
- There is a positive correlation between study time and exam scores.
- Negative correlation: A relationship where one variable increases as the other decreases.
- There is a negative correlation between hours of video gaming and sleep duration.
- Zero correlation: A situation where there is no linear relationship between variables.
- The data showed a zero correlation between shoe size and intelligence.
Noun
- a statistical relation between two or more variables such that systematic changes in the value of one variable are accompanied by systematic changes in the other
- a statistic representing how closely two variables co-vary; it can vary from -1 (perfect negative correlation) through 0 (no correlation) to +1 (perfect positive correlation)
- what is the correlation between those two variables?
- a reciprocal relation between two or more things