Which term describes the degree to which two variables are related, such that increases in one tend to accompany increases in the other?

• A. Regression
• B. Normal Distribution
• C. Standardization
• D. Correlation

Answer: (D)

Correlation is the term for the degree to which two variables relate. It captures both the strength and direction of their relationship. When increases in one tend to accompany increases in the other, the relationship is positive correlation. The correlation coefficient, which ranges from -1 to 1, tells how strong that link is and whether it's positive or negative. A value near 1 indicates a strong positive association; near 0 indicates little linear relationship; near -1 indicates a strong negative association. The other terms don’t describe this connection directly: regression is about predicting one variable from another, normal distribution describes the shape of a distribution, and standardization puts variables on a common scale. For example, more hours studied typically relates to higher test scores, illustrating positive correlation.