This is practice for a test, and I don't understand this. Could you explain it like dummies in statistics book would? Thank you!

Exercise 31 Predictors of Suicidality Multiple Correlation: I Statistical Guide To review correlation coefficients, see the statistical guide for Exercise 25. A multiple correlation coefficient (R) indicates the extent to which a combination of vari- ables predicts an outcome variable. (In the excerpt below, the researchers determine how well a combination of variables predicts suicidality. In this case, the multiple A tells us how well we can predict if we use a combination of all the variables in Table 1.) Squaring R yields the coefficient of determination, whose symbol is R". The coefficient of determination is the proportion of variance in the outcome that is predicted by the combination of two or more predictor variables. This proportion is sometimes called the explained variance or vari- ance accounted for. Multiplying R" by 100% yields the percentage of variance accounted for. Background Notes In the following excerpt, "CAST" refers to the Children of Alcoholics Screening Test, which was used to measure the extent of parental alcohol problems. For all variables, higher scores indicate more of the characteristic in question. Excerpt from the Research Article' Participants in this study (N = 349) were young males (M = 19 years, SD = 3.97, range = 13 to 30 years) from a Los Angeles County community sample who were self-identified as Latino. Behavioral, attitudinal, and cognitive components related to suicidality were assessed with a 6-item scale.... This scale contains [item questions such as] "I have been thinking about ways to kill myself" [and] "I have had recent thoughts about dying...." Responses ranged from 1 (never) to 5 (always). (See Table ] on the next page.) Source: Locke, T. F., & Newcomb, M. D. (2005). Psychosocial predictors and correlates of suicidality in teenage La- tino males. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 27, 319-336. Copyright @ 2005 by Sage Publications. Reprinted with permission. 93Exercise 31 Predictors of Suicidality: Multiple Correlation: I 4. Is "Alcohol use" or "Childhood quality" a better predictor of suicidality? 5. What is the value of the multiple correlation coefficient when all the predictor variables in Table I are used in combination to predict suicidality? 6. What is the value of the coefficient of determination that corresponds to the multiple correlation coefficient? 7. What proportion of the variance in suicidality is predicted by the combination of all the predic tors in Table 1? 8. What percentage of the variance in suicidality is predicted by the combination of all the predic tors in Table 1? Part B: Questions for Discussion 9. Does it surprise you that some of the individual predictors of suicidality have positive correla- tions while others have negative correlations?- 10. Based on what you know about the interpretation of correlation coefficients, would you charac- terize the multiple correlation coefficient in Table 1 as representing a strong relationship? Ex- plain. 95Exercise 31 Predictors of Suicidality: Multiple Correlation: I Table I Correlation and Multiple Regression Results Variable tested Correlation with suicidality Multiple correlation Sexual abuse 38 Emotional abuse .45 Physical abuse 35 Emotional neglect 23 Physical neglect .31 CAST-mother .28 CAST-father .23 Childhood quality -.24 Good relationship with parents -.36 Good relationship with family -.27 Assertiveness -.13 Problem-solving confidence -21 Competence -.24 Religious commitment -.18 Law abiding -.27 Cigarette use -15 Alcohol use .15 Marijuana use 26 Hard drug use 38 R R .61 37 CAST = Children of Alcoholics Screening Test, Short Form. Questions for Exercise 31 Part A: Factual Questions 1. In Table 1, does "Sexual abuse" or "Emotional abuse" correlate more highly with suicidality? 2. The correlation between "Religious commitment" and suicidality indicates which of the following? A. Those individuals with more "Religious commitment" report more suicidality. B. Those individuals with more "Religious commitment" report less suicidality. 3. The correlation between "Hard drug use" and suicidality indicates which of the following? A. Those individuals with more "Hard drug use" report more suicidality. B. Those individuals with more "Hard drug use" report less suicidality. 94