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Explain, with the aid of an example, what is meant by the statement: "Correlation does not imply causality." A positive correlation between two variables does not mean that one is necessarily causing the other - Leaving Cert Mathematics - Question 2 - 2011
Question 2
Explain, with the aid of an example, what is meant by the statement: "Correlation does not imply causality." A positive correlation between two variables does not ... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Explain, with the aid of an example, what is meant by the statement: "Correlation does not imply causality." A positive correlation between two variables does not mean that one is necessarily causing the other - Leaving Cert Mathematics - Question 2 - 2011
Step 1
Explain, with the aid of an example, what is meant by the statement: "Correlation does not imply causality."
Answer
Correlation between two variables simply indicates that they are related in some way. However, it does not indicate which variable is causing the other or if they are both affected by some other variable. For example, in a primary school, there may be a correlation between students' reading ability and their shoe size. While taller children may have larger feet and also tend to be older, this does not mean that being able to read better causes a child to have larger feet. The correlation is instead influenced by age, which serves as a confounding factor.
Step 2
Step 3
What kind of relationship, if any, do the observed data suggest exists between x and y?
Answer
The data suggests that there is no linear relationship between x and y. However, the distribution of points indicates a pattern that aligns with a quadratic relationship. Alternatively, we may also conclude that there seems to be a non-linear relationship between x and y.