Calculating a Correlation Coefficient and Scatter Plot using Excel

Behavioral scientists conducted a study looking at the relationship between depression and anxiety. The

scores of a sample of 12 depressed clients are listed below:

Depression: 44 47 39 43 45 57 56 48 52 48 44 48

Anxiety: 39 50 44 49 51 65 47 49 60 59 40 58

Calculate the correlation coefficient using Excel

1. Enter the scores into two columns in Excel. Click on Data in the toolbar and then click Data Analysis

(make sure you have the Analysis Toolpak loaded into Excel. See Loading Excel Analysis Toolpak on the

Excel Instructions webpage.

2. Click Correlation in the analysis window and click OK.

3. Click on the Input Range box and highlight cells A1 to B13. Make sure you have the box next to Labels

in first row clicked.

4. Click on the Output Range box and click cell B15. Click OK.

The correlation coefficient will appear. In this example the correlation between Depression and Anxiety

is .625

CREATING A SCATTERPLOT

1. Highlight cells A1 to B13. Click on the Insert tab in toolbar and then click Scatter.

2. Choose the first box.

3. The scatterplot will appear.

4. To change the title of the graph, click on Anxiety and type Correlation between Depression and

Anxiety. Click on the Anxiety legend and hit the Delete key on your key board to remove.

5. To change the values on the horizontal and vertical axes, click on any place in the scatterplot and then

click the Layout tab on the toolbar and then click on Axis.

6. Click Primary Horizontal Axis and then More Primary Horizontal Axis Options.

7. Click the Fixed button to minimize the horizontal axis values and type 35 in the box. Click Close.

8. Next click Primary Vertical Axis and More Primary Vertical Axis Options.

9. Click the Fixed button to minimize the vertical axis values and type 30 in the box. Click Close.

10. The minimum values on both the horizontal vertical axes have been changed. The formatting of the

scatterplot is complete. The plot shows a moderately positive relationship between depression and

anxiety.