ABSTRACT
Correlation and, more generally, association is a basic staple of inferential statistics, often easily computed with handheld calculators, simple spreadsheet software, and even by hand. Most modern researchers compute correlations and other indices of relatedness without thinking deeply about their choices. Despite being basic in the current pantheon of analytic options, measures of association are important, almost ubiquitous, and can easily produce errors of inference if not utilized thoughtfully and with attention to detail.
