Please, review the following for accuracy. Please, provide corrections.

Give a plausible example of a three-variable research problem in which partial correlation would be a useful analysis.

In accordance with my research question related to "gap year and GPA," the third variable" I would add for a partial correlation is "decided vs. undecided" majors. Thus, the research question would be as follows: Do first-year students who have taken a gap year and have decided majors fair better academically (GPA)?

DefineX₁,X₂, andY.

Predictor/Independent Variable: X₁Age (continuous/ratio)

Predictor/Independent Variable: X₂ Major (nominal with two values---1=decided/2=undecided)

Outcome/Dependent Variable (Y): GPA (continuous/interval)

Make sure that you indicate which of your three variables is the "controlled for" variable (X₂).

The controlled variable isX2 (decided major vs. undecided major). As such, theX2 is considered the mediator of the relationship between GPA and gap year.

What results might you expect to obtain for this partial correlation, and how would you interpret your results (e.g., spurious correlation, mediation, moderation, and so on)?

It is expected that first-year college students who have "decided majors" and took a "gap year" will do better academically.