A bivariate plot graphs the relationship between two variables that have been measured on a single sample of subjects. Such a plot permits you to see at a glance the degree and pattern of relation between the two variables. On a bivariate plot, the abscissa (X-axis) represents the potential scores of the predictor variable and the ordinate (Y-axis) represents the potential scores of the predicted or outcome variable. Each point on the plot shows the X and Y scores for a single subject. This is what we mean by "bivariate" plot -- each point represents two variables.