An r value of -0.52 indicates what type of correlation?

A correlation coefficient, represented by the r value, ranges from -1 to 1, where values close to 1 indicate a strong positive correlation, values close to -1 indicate a strong negative correlation, and values near 0 indicate little to no correlation.

An r value of -0.52 falls into the negative correlation category, which indicates that as one variable increases, the other tends to decrease. This specific value is characterized as a modest negative correlation. The term "modest" is typically used for correlations that are neither weak nor strong, and a value like -0.52 suggests a noticeable but not overwhelming inverse relationship between the two variables being analyzed.

This is why -0.52 is best interpreted as embodying a modest negative correlation rather than a strong negative correlation, which would be represented by a value closer to -1. Hence, the answer accurately reflects the nature of this correlation coefficient.