An Ardent Fan of Television Game Shows Has Observed That

question 90

Essay

An ardent fan of television game shows has observed that, in general, the more educated the contestant, the less money he or she wins. To test her belief, she gathers data about the last eight winners of her favourite game show. She records their winnings in dollars and their years of education. The results are as follows. $$\begin{array} { | c | c | c | } \hline \text { Contestant } & \begin{array} { c } \text { Years of } \\\text { education }\end{array} & \text { Winnings } \\\hline 1 & 11 & 750 \\\hline 2 & 15 & 400 \\\hline 3 & 12 & 600 \\\hline 4 & 16 & 350 \\\hline 5 & 11 & 800 \\\hline 6 & 16 & 300 \\\hline 7 & 13 & 650 \\\hline 8 & 14 & 400 \\\hline\end{array}$$ Calculate the Pearson correlation coefficient. What sign does it have? Why?

---

Definitions:

News Announcer

A broadcaster responsible for delivering news to the public through mediums like television, radio, or the internet.

Moderate

An adjective describing a medium or average level of intensity, severity, or degree, neither minimal nor excessive.

Actor-observer Effect

A bias in attribution theory where people tend to attribute their own actions to situational factors but others' actions to personal traits.

Voluntary

An action taken out of free will or choice, without compulsion or obligation.