The relationship between hospital patient to nurse ratio and various characteristics of job satisfaction and patient care has been the focus of a number of research studies. Suppose x = patient to nurse ratio is the predictor variable. For each of the following response variables, indicate whether you expect the slope of the least squares line to be positive or negative and give a brief explanation for your choice.
a. y = a measure of nurse’s job satisfaction (higher values indicate higher satisfaction)
b. y = a measure of patient satisfaction with hospital care (higher values indicate higher satisfaction)
c. y = a measure of quality of patient care (higher values indicate higher quality)