Short Answer

A researcher is studying nightly sleep hours and depression levels. If they calculate a Pearson's rr close to zero, apply your understanding of this relationship to identify what visual step they must take with their data and what specific curved pattern they should look for on the resulting plot.

Question: A researcher is studying nightly sleep hours and depression levels. If they calculate a Pearson's rr close to zero, apply your understanding of this relationship to identify what visual step they must take with their data and what specific curved pattern they should look for on the resulting plot.

Sample answer: The researcher must create and inspect a scatterplot of the data. They should look for a curved, upside-down 'U' shape, which represents the nonlinear relationship where depression is lowest at eight hours of sleep and higher at both lower and higher sleep durations.

Key points:

  • The researcher must plot the sleep and depression data on a scatterplot.
  • They should search for a curved, upside-down 'U' shape in the plotted points.
  • This visual analysis reveals the nonlinear relationship that Pearson's rr fails to capture.

Rubric: The answer must state that the researcher needs to plot the data on a scatterplot and look for a curved or upside-down 'U' shape.

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Updated 2026-05-27

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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU

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