Abstract
In this chapter, we discuss bivariate relationships between two continuous variables. In research, these are the relationships that occur the most often. We can express bivariate relationships between continuous variables in three ways: (1) through a graphical representation in the form of a scatterplot, (2) through a correlation analysis, and (3) through a bivariate regression analysis. We describe and explain each method and show how to implement it in SPSS and Stata.
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- 1.
In the dataset, you might want to write Atktiv because writing out activities makes the word too long to fit into the data field in Stata.
- 2.
Please note that we can only compare adjusted R-squared values of different models, if these models have the same number of observations.
- 3.
Ibid.
Further Reading
Gravetter, F. J., & Forzano, L. A. B. (2018). Research methods for the behavioral sciences. Boston: Cengage Learning (chapter 12). Nice introduction into correlational research; covers the data and methods for correlational analysis, applications of the correlational strategy, and strength and weakness of the correlational research strategy.
Montgomery, D. C., Peck, E. A., & Vining, G. G. (2012). Introduction to linear regression analysis (Vol. 821). San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons (chapters 1 and 2). Chapters 1 and 2 provide a hands on and practical introduction into linear regression modelling, first in the bivariate realm and then in the multivariate realm.
Ott, R. L., & Longnecker, M. T. (2015). An introduction to statistical methods and data analysis. Toronto, ON: Nelson Education (chapter 11). Provides a good introduction into correlation and regression analysis clearly highlighting the differences between the two techniques.
Roberts, L. W., Wilkinson, L., Peter, T., & Edgerton, J. (2015). Understanding social statistics. Don Mills: Oxford University Press (chapters 10–14). These chapters offer students the basic tools to examine the form and strength of bivariate relationships.
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Stockemer, D. (2019). Bivariate Relationships Featuring Two Continuous Variables. In: Quantitative Methods for the Social Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99118-4_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99118-4_8
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