Which of the following correlations best represents a negative association?

A correlation coefficient ranges from -1 to 1 and indicates the strength and direction of a linear relationship between two variables. A negative correlation represents an inverse relationship, meaning that as one variable increases, the other decreases.

The choice that best indicates a negative association is -0.50. This value signifies a moderate negative correlation, suggesting that there is a tendency for one variable to decrease as the other increases. The closer the correlation is to -1, the stronger the negative association.

In contrast, the other options show either a positive correlation (0.75 and 1.00) where both variables move in the same direction, or no correlation at all (0.00), where there is no predictable relationship between the two variables. Thus, -0.50 is indeed the only choice indicating a negative association, affirming its role in representing this relationship well.