Rutgers General Psychology Exam 1 Practice

A defining characteristic of a negative correlation is that one variable increases while the other decreases. This means that as the value of one variable goes up, the value of the other variable goes down. In a negative correlation, the two variables move in opposite directions. For instance, consider the relationship between hours spent studying and the number of hours spent watching television; as the hours spent studying increase, the hours watching television may typically decrease, illustrating a negative correlation.

In contrast, a positive correlation would be characterized by both variables increasing together, which does not describe a negative correlation. A lack of relationship between variables indicates no correlation at all, which also deviates from the definition of negative correlation. Lastly, the correlation coefficient in negative correlations is negative, not always positive, further confirming the unique aspect of a negative correlation.