Introduction
Spearman’s S is a measure of correlation used to determine the strength of the relationship between two variables. Spearman’s S is a non-parametric statistical test that examines the strength of a monotonic relationship between two variables. The Spearman’s S statistic is often used to assess the degree of correlation between variables that are not normally distributed, or to determine the level of association between a categorical and a continuous variable (Hosmer, Lemeshow, & Sturdivant, 2013).
Background
Spearman’s S is named after Charles Spearman, an English psychologist who developed it in 1904 (Kline, 2018). Spearman’s S is an adaptation of Pearson’s correlation coefficient, which is used for variables with a normal distribution. The Spearman’s S statistic is used to measure the strength of the correlation between two variables, regardless of their distribution. Spearman’s S is calculated using the following formula:
S = 1 – 6∑d^2/n(n^2 – 1)
Where S is Spearman’s S, d is the difference between the two variables, and n is the number of observations (Hosmer et al., 2013).
Application
Spearman’s S is used in a variety of applications, such as in psychology to analyze the relationship between two variables, in medicine to assess the correlation between two variables, and in business to evaluate the strength of the relationship between two variables. For example, in psychology, Spearman’s S can be used to analyze the correlation between IQ scores and personal traits, such as creativity or leadership abilities. In medicine, Spearman’s S can be used to assess the correlation between a patient’s medical history and current health condition. In business, Spearman’s S can be used to evaluate the strength of the relationship between customer satisfaction and product quality.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Spearman’s S is a measure of correlation used to determine the strength of the relationship between two variables. Spearman’s S is a non-parametric statistical test that examines the strength of a monotonic relationship between two variables. Spearman’s S is used in a variety of applications, such as in psychology, medicine, and business.
References
Hosmer, D. W., Lemeshow, S., & Sturdivant, R. X. (2013). Applied logistic regression (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Kline, R. B. (2018). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (4th ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Publications.