ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the effects that the distributions of the two variables have on the correlation coefficient interval. It provides a procedure for calculating an adjusted correlation coefficient, whose realized correlation coefficient interval is often shorter than the definitional correlation coefficient interval. The correlation coefficient, denoted by r, is a measure of the strength of the straight-line or linear relationship between two variables. The correlation coefficient—by definition—assumes any value in the interval between +1 and –1, including the end values ±1, namely, the closed interval denoted by [+1, –1]. The process of rematching determines the length of the realized correlation coefficient interval. The correlation coefficients of the strongest positive and strongest negative relationships yield the length of the realized correlation coefficient interval. The adjusted correlation coefficient is the quotient of the original correlation coefficient and the rematched correlation coefficient. The sign of the adjusted correlation coefficient is the sign of the original correlation coefficient.
