ABSTRACT
Partial correlation is similar to Pearson product-moment correlation, except that it allows the students to control for an additional variable. This is usually a variable that the students suspect might be influencing two variables of interest. By statistically removing the influence of this confounding variable, the students can get a clearer and more accurate indication of the relationship between two variables. This variable refers to people's tendency to present themselves in a positive, or socially desirable, way when completing questionnaires. This tendency is measured by the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. Although IBM SPSS Statistics provides the correlation coefficients using three decimal places, they are usually reported in journal articles as two decimals. An inspection of the zeroorder correlation coefficient suggested that controlling for socially desirable responding had very little effect on the strength of the relationship between these two variables.
