What type of correlation has one variable that increases as the other variable decreases?

A correlation between variables indicates that as one variable changes in value, the other variable tends to change in a specific direction. A correlation coefficient measures both the direction and the strength of this tendency to vary together.

  • A positive correlation indicates that as one variable increases the other variable tends to increase.
  • A correlation near zero indicates that as one variable increases, there is no tendency in the other variable to either increase or decrease.
  • A negative correlation indicates that as one variable increases the other variable tends to decrease.

The correlation coefficient can range from -1 to 1. The extreme values of -1 and 1 indicate a perfectly linear relationship where a change in one variable is accompanied by a perfectly consistent change in the other. In practice, you won’t see either type of perfect relationship.

The two most common types of correlation coefficients are Pearson’s product moment correlation and the Spearman rank-order correlation.

Pearson product moment correlation

The Pearson correlation evaluates the linear relationship between two continuous variables. A relationship is linear when a change in one variable is associated with a proportional change in the other variable.

Spearman rank-order correlation

Also called Spearman’s rho, the Spearman correlation evaluates the monotonic relationship between two continuous or ordinal variables. In a monotonic relationship, the variables tend to change together, but not necessarily at a constant rate. The Spearman correlation coefficient is based on the ranked values for each variable rather than the raw data.

Synonyms:

Pearson product moment correlation, Spearman rank-order correlation

What type of correlation has one variable that increases as the other variable decreases?

  • DESCRIPTION

    Woman Running in Park as Negative Correlation Examples

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    Inti St Clair / Getty Images

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    Used under Getty Images license

Two people or situations (known as variables) with a negative correlation have an inverse relationship, which means one increases as the other decreases. Think of school absences, for example: The higher the number of absences, the lower a student's grades will be. Although negative correlation is a common part of psychological and statistical analysis, you can also find examples of negative correlation all around you every day.

Not every change gives a positive result. These different examples of negative correlation show how many things in the real world react inversely.

  • A student who has many absences has a decrease in grades.
  • The more one works, the less free time one has.
  • As one increases in age, often one's agility decreases.
  • If a car decreases speed, travel time to a destination increases.
  • The more time you study or prepare for a test, the fewer mistakes you'll make.
  • When you spend more time brushing your teeth, you'll have fewer cavities.
  • If a car tire has more air, the car may use less gas per mile.
  • If a train increases speed, the length of time to get to the final point decreases.
  • The more you pay off a loan, the less debt you'll be in.
  • When the supply of a particular product decreases, the demand for it increases.

Negative Correlation Examples in Nutrition and Health

If you increase the nutritional value of your meals, you'll probably need fewer doctor's visits! Additional examples of negative correlation in the nutrition and health world include:

  • As one exercises more, their body weight decreases.

  • The longer someone runs, the less energy they have.

  • The more one smokes cigarettes, their ability to breathe deeply decreases.

  • As a biker’s speed increases, their time to get to the finish line decreases.

  • As the slope of a hill increases, the amount of speed a walker reaches may decrease.

  • The more one eats, the less hunger one will have.

  • The more one exercises, the fewer health problems they are likely to have.

Weather and Climate Examples of Negative Correlation

It's easy to measure negative correlation when it comes to the weather because an increase (or decrease) of outdoor temperature causes a lot of inverse changes. For example:

  • As the weather gets colder, air conditioning costs decrease.

  • If it is darker outside, more light is needed inside.

  • The warmer it is outside, the fewer layers of clothing one has to wear to be warm.

  • As the temperature increases, customers buy fewer hot chocolate products.

  • As the temperature decreases, people purchase more heaters.

  • As humidity increases, people's desire to be outside may decrease.

  • As snowfall totals increase, the number of people driving decreases.

  • If the temperatures outside decrease dramatically, heating bills will increase.

Negative Correlation Examples in Nature

Nature largely works in positive correlation, which is when both variables increase or decrease at the same time. For example, a plant that creates a lot of seeds has a higher chance of creating offspring. However, there are also examples of negative correlation in nature, such as:

  • In areas with low amounts of rain, more wild animals migrate to other places.
  • As a tadpole gets older, its tail gets smaller.
  • A rosebush with many thorns will attract fewer animals who want to eat it.
  • The larger a herd of animals gets, the less food there is to go around.
  • When lions spend more time sleeping, they have less time to hunt during the day.
  • As a tree gets more mature, it requires water less frequently.
  • The older an animal gets, the fewer offspring it can have.
  • When an animal's hunger increases, its self-protection decreases.

Finding Relationships in Our Everyday World

What is the correlation if one increases and the other decreases?

If the correlation coefficient has a negative value (below 0) it indicates a negative relationship between the variables. This means that the variables move in opposite directions (ie when one increases the other decreases, or when one decreases the other increases).

What are the 4 types of correlation?

Note: 1= Correlation does not imply causation..
Positive Linear Correlation. There is a positive linear correlation when the variable on the x -axis increases as the variable on the y -axis increases. ... .
Negative Linear Correlation. ... .
Non-linear Correlation (known as curvilinear correlation) ... .
No Correlation..

Is a relationship between two variables where if one variable increases the other one decreases?

There exists a negative correlation when increase in one variable leads to a decrease in another variable, i.e, they both move in the opposite direction.

What direction of correlation tells about if one variable increases the other also increases?

A correlation coefficient of +1 indicates a perfect positive correlation. As variable x increases, variable y increases. As variable x decreases, variable y decreases.