MLS-C01 Question 114
Single answerYou are working as a data scientist for an e-commerce company that wants to improve its recommendation engine. You are tasked with analyzing the relationship between the number of products viewed by a user and the user's likelihood to make a purchase. Upon calculating the Pearson correlation coefficient, you obtain a value of 0.85. What conclusion can you draw from this value?
- A
There is a strong positive linear relationship between the number of products viewed and the likelihood of purchase.
- B
There is no relationship between the number of products viewed and the likelihood of purchase.
- C
The number of products viewed directly causes an increase in the likelihood of purchase.
- D
The relationship between the number of products viewed and the likelihood of purchase is weak.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The Pearson correlation coefficient measures the strength and direction of a linear relationship between two variables. A value of 0.85 indicates a strong positive correlation, meaning that as one variable increases, the other tends to increase as well. However, correlation does not imply causation, so while the relationship is strong, it does not mean one variable directly causes changes in the other.
- A. Correct.
A Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.85 indicates a strong positive linear relationship between the two variables. This means that as the number of products viewed increases, the likelihood of purchase tends to increase as well.
- B. Incorrect.
This is incorrect because a correlation of 0.85 indicates a strong relationship, not the absence of one.
- C. Incorrect.
Correlation does not imply causation. While the correlation is strong, it does not necessarily mean that viewing more products directly causes a higher likelihood of purchase.
- D. Incorrect.
This is incorrect because a correlation coefficient of 0.85 represents a strong relationship, not a weak one.