Psych question: Is this a positive or negative correlation?

Question

The more sexual content teens see on TV, the more likely they are to have sex.

Answer 1

This is a positive correlation. You can not establish a relationship of cause and effect from this statement. correlation refers to the mathematical calculation of how two variables co-variate. in this case, as one variable increases, the other one increases as well, which makes it a positive correlation.
A negative correlation would occur in the scenario that when one variable increases, the other one decreases, or vice versa.

Answer 2

It may be a positive correlation meaning nothing. Turn it around. The more people that have sex the more likely you will see that reflected on TV. Correlation is not cause and simple correlations of this nature are very misleading and easily turned either way. This renders much of social science pronouncements worthless.

Answer 3

Evidence of the effect television has on young minds, morals and attitudes is rife. It is not the fault, entirely, of the industry, either. A big hunk of the responsibility belongs to parents and others who have the duty to 'guide' our kids.
If parents fail to instill respect early in a child's up-bringing it's hard to catch-up later. Kids nowadays don't reach sexual maturity with a clear idea of the possible consequenses of sex: Mainly pregnancy but also the likelihood of ruined chances for the rewards of a higher education and the possibility of 'catching' something quite unpleasant.
I don't think the sexual content of films and television would harm anyone if kids were reared with the values of yesteryear. But, Hey! I'm just a layman, pun intended, not a psychologist.

Answer 4

While I do agree that what teenagers are exposed to on television has a slight impact on their decision to have sex, parents/family/ counselors/ friends.. whoever is important and active in their life has the main influence over their decisions. If teens are raised by people who not only educate them on the postive and negative effects of sex, but offer them support in other aspects of their life, they are more likely to make good decisons about sex. If a teenager decides to have sex, it most likely has very little to do with what they see on t.v. and more to do with where they're at emotionally. If they don't want to have sex with someone they care about, there's a good chance they need to feel loved or appreciated. So to answer your question, seeing things on t.v. will only influence a teenager if they aren't getting support from people in their life.

Answer 5

It's a positive correlation, which means the more they see the more likely they are to want it. It's the same for them as it is for us. When you see a sex scene, don't you want it more? They are learning it there, their hormones are kicking in, and it is very much a this plus that equals "let's go!"

Answer 6

That would depend on how you look at the question. From a grammar standpoint, it is positive. However, from a social awareness point of view, negative.

Answer 7

yea