A Social Scientist Learns, Upon Analyzing Her Data, That the Correlation

question 10

Multiple Choice

A social scientist learns, upon analyzing her data, that the correlation between a subject's hours of television watched and their score on a test that measures propensity to violence is r = 0.3. One way to use r is to compute the percent of the variation in the violence test score that can be explained by the straight-line relationship between that violence test score and hours of television watched. This percent is about

• A) 30%.
• B) 70%.
• C) 9%.
• D) 21%.
• E) 7%.

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Definitions:

Reinforcing

An act that increases the likelihood of a behavior being repeated, often through a reward-based system.

Antidepressant Drug

Drugs specifically formulated to relieve symptoms of depression, often by correcting imbalances of neurotransmitters in the brain; synonymous to antidepressant medication but rephrased for clarity.

Serotonin

A neurotransmitter that has a critical role in stabilizing mood, feelings of well-being, and happiness. It also influences sleep, digestion, and other bodily functions.

Norepinephrine

A neurotransmitter whose abnormal activity is linked to panic disorder and depression.