Skip to main content
rank-order correlation

rank-order correlation

8.8
A number that shows how similar two ordered lists are
  • noun
  • /ræŋkˈɔrdər ˌkɔrɪˈleɪʃən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : correlación de orden de rango
  • The rank-order correlation for this group for the 20 goal areas, current and preferred, was .80, a high positive relationship.
  • Spearman rank-order correlation
  • rank-order correlation coefficient
  • rank-order correlation analysis

Examples

  • In order to test the stability of coaches' expectations, rank-order correlations between early and late season assessments were computed.

    Academic text (1996)
  • For each factor separately, a Spearman rank-order correlation coefficient was computed between the objective ratings and the judgments made by the unacquainted subjects.

    Academic text (1993)
  • The mean rank-order correlations are shown in Table 2.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Rank-order correlation was calculated for the responses from male and female students.

    Academic text (1993)
  • The Spearman rank-order correlation coefficients are listed in Table 3.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Rank-order correlations were computed for each of the four value scales within each field of graduate study and across all fields.

    Academic text (2004)
  • The Spearman's rank-order correlation coefficients reflecting the association between the two measures are listed in Table 2.

    Academic text (1996)
  • The Spearman rank-order correlation analysis was conducted to determine the relationship between students' and parents' attitudes toward mathematics and students' achievement in mathematics.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Rank-order correlations between loudness level and preferred frequency-gain response from the round-robin procedure were also conducted for each individual subject.

    Academic text (1993)
  • The researchers found a strong rank-order correlation between survey responses and academic performance.

Synonyms

rank-difference correlation
vsrank-order correlation
  • Specialized
9.6

To measure how two sets of scores are related by comparing their ranks

measures how closely two ranked orderings agree rather than compute a coefficient

Surface Forms

Morphology

rank-order + correlation

The meaning is directly compositional: 'rank-order' refers to ordering items by rank and 'correlation' refers to a relationship or association, so together they denote the relationship between two ranked orderings. Although used in a technical/statistical context, a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can reasonably infer that it measures how closely two ranked lists correspond.

Etymology

Rank-order correlation comes from the simple image of comparing two lists that put items in a rank (best to worst) and an order. If the same names or numbers stay near the top in both lists, the lists 'match', so a rank-order correlation measures how closely the two orders match.