Spearman Rank Coefficient (ρ)

Authors
Affiliations

Doctor of Physical Therapy

B.S. in Kinesiology

Doctor of Physical Therapy

B.A. in Neuroscience

Abbreviations & other names:

Comparison to other tests

See Spearman Rank coefficient (ρ) vs pearson product-moment correlation (r) vs linear regression

Purpose

  • Similar to Pearson Correlation Coefficient
  • Ordinal data
  • Not restricted to Continuous variables
  • Ranking converts nonlinear data into a linear relationship

Measure: Strength of relationship between the ranks of the values of 2 variables

Range

-1 to +1

Interpretation

Observed correlation does NOT assume causation only Association

References

1.
Schober P, Boer C, Schwarte LA. Correlation Coefficients: Appropriate Use and Interpretation. Anesthesia and Analgesia. 2018;126(5):1763-1768. doi:10.1213/ANE.0000000000002864

Citation

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