A bivariate plot of two scores (self-esteem and Interpersonal Avoidance) is shown below. Click the button to see a red line that shows a linear relationship between the two variables.

As can be seen, the points on this graph do not follow a perfect straight line. The distance of the points to the line is called "scatter". A large amount of scatter around the line indicates a weak relationship. Little scatter represents a strong relationship. If all points fall directly on a straight line, we have a perfect linear relationship between our two variables.