Retaliation against company “whistle-blowers.” Individuals who report perceived wrongdoing of a corporation or public agency are known as whistle-blowers. In the Journal of Applied Psychology, researchers developed an index designed to measure the extent of retaliation against a whistle-blower. The index was based on the number of forms of reprisal actually experienced, the number of forms of reprisal threatened, and the number of people within the organization (e.g., coworkers or immediate supervisor) who retaliated against them. The table (below) lists the retaliation index (higher numbers indicate more extensive retaliation) and salary for a hypothetical sample of 15 whistle-blowers from federal agencies. Retaliation Index Salary 301 $62,000 550 36,500 755 21,600 327 24,000 500 30,100 377 35,000 290 47,500 452 54,000 535 19,800 455 44,000 615 46,600 700 15,100 650 70,000 630 21,000 360 16,900

a. Construct a scatterplot for the data. Does it appear that the extent of retaliation increases, decreases, or stays the same with an increase in salary? Explain.

b. Use the method of least squares to fit a straight line to the data.

c. Graph the least squares line on your scatterplot. Does the least squares line support your answer to the question in part a? Explain.

d. Interpret the y-intercept, bn 0 of the least squares line in terms of this application. Is the interpretation meaningful?

e. Interpret the slope, bn 1, of the least squares line in terms of this application. Over what range of x is this interpretation meaningful?

f. Test the adequacy of the model using a = .05.