If decreases in the X variable are accompanied by decreases in the Y variable, then the correlation between X and Y is positive. If the value of the Pearson correlation is r = 1, then all data points on a scatter plot fit perfectly on a straight line. A Pearson negative correlation of r = -1.00 means that all the data points fit perfectly on a straight line, but a positive correlation of r = 1.0 would not have all of its data points fit a perfectly straight line. A correlation of r = 0.72 means that there is essentially no consistent relationship between X and Y. For a negative correlation, decreases in X tend to be accompanied by increases in Y.