Assignment: Testing for Correlation and Bivariate Regression

You had the chance earlier in the week to perform an article critique on correlation and simple linear regression and obtain peer feedback. Hopefully you are excited about the potential these tests hold; equally important is that you recognize some of their weaknesses. Now, it is once again time to put all of that good brainstorming to use and answer a social research question with the correlation and simple linear regression. As you begin the Assignment, be sure and pay close attention to the assumptions of the test. Specifically, make sure that your variables are metric level variables that can easily be interpreted in these tests.

For this Assignment, you will examine correlation and bivariate regression testing.

To prepare for this Assignment:

Review this week’s Learning Resources and media program related to regression and correlation.

Using the SPSS software, open the Afrobarometer dataset or the High School Longitudinal Study dataset (whichever you choose) found in the Learning Resources for this week.

Based on the dataset you chose, construct a research question that can be answered with a Pearson correlation and bivariate regression.

• Once you perform your correlation and bivariate regression analysis, review Chapter 11 of the Wagner text to understand how to copy and paste your output into your Word document.
• For this Assignment:
• Write a 2- to 3-paragraph analysis of your correlation and bivariate regression results for each research question. If you are using the Afrobarometer Dataset, report the mean of Q1 (Age). If you are using the HS Long Survey Dataset, report the mean of X1SES. Do not forget to evaluate if the correlation and bivariate regression assumptions are met and report the effect size. In your analysis, display the data for the output. Based on your results, provide an explanation of what the implications of social change might be.