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How can there be a correlation between two things even though one does not cause the other?
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Let's say we look at the consumption of junk food and heart attacks. What we would see is a correlation. The more junk food you eat the less risk of a heart attack. There is a correlation but is there a cause and effect relationship?
Probably not. Young people eat a lot more junk food than older people. And older people are much more likely to suffer from a heart attack.
Mathematically this is due to correlation between your x variables. In statistical analysis you usually assume independent variables. In reality thins are much more complicated. If you want to establish true relationships you need to use design of experiments (DoE).
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
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What is the relationship between correlation and causation?
correlation implies the cause and effect relationship,, but casuality doesn't imply correlation.
When two variables are correlated there are four possible explanations of the correlation What are they?
a. The correlation between X and Y is spurious b. X is the cause of Y c. Y is the cause of X d. A third variable is the cause of the correlation between X and Y
Strengths and weaknesses of correlation?
A good starting point to research and very good at showing relationship between variables but doesn't demonstrate cause and effect
Does correlation prove causality?
No. If Factor X is correlated to Factor Y then you can use one as a predictor of the other, but you should never assume that one causes the other (it may, but correlation alone doesn't prove it).Consider the correlation between proximity to a swampland and chances of contracting malaria. Do swamplands cause malaria? No. Malaria is propagated via mosquitoes which of course love to live in swamplands. So your proximity to a swampland is a useful predictor of your chances of contracting malaria, but doesn't cause it.
Why correlation does not guarantee causation?
Correlation shows a possible relationship between two random variables. It does not say one variable causes a result in another. It further is wrong to conclude if event B occurs after event A, then A caused B. An example from Darrell Huff's book, "How to Lie with Statistics": A correlation is found between smoking and low grades. Does that mean that smoking causes low grades, or low grades cause people to smoke? It seems a good deal more probable that neither of these things produced the other, but that both are a product of some third factor. The inches of rain in Spain may correlate with the temperatures in Mexico, only because there is similarity of seasons. Small or improperly taken sample may show excellent correlations. The cumulative sum of births in China in one year (each day the total is the sum of all other previous days) will show an excellent correlation with the cumulative sum of rainfall in Germany. This correlation is because the the same values are repeated in the cumulative sums.
What is the relationship between correlation and causation?
correlation implies the cause and effect relationship,, but casuality doesn't imply correlation.
When two variables are correlated there are four possible explanations of the correlation What are they?
a. The correlation between X and Y is spurious b. X is the cause of Y c. Y is the cause of X d. A third variable is the cause of the correlation between X and Y
Is there a correlation between snowfall and phases of the moon in Maine?
There may be a weak correlation, but there is no known mechanism to cause this and it is unlikely one will be found.
which scenario best illustrates the concept of illusory correlation?
A person believes cell phones cause cancer despite scientific studies finding no correlation between them.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of correlation analysis?
Strengths:WeaknessesCalculating the strength of a relationship between variables.Cannot assume cause and effect, strong correlation between variables may be misleading.Useful as a pointer for further, more detailedresearch.Lack of correlation may not mean there is no relationship, it could be non-linear.
Indicate whether these passages contain a faulty move from correlation to cause. If so state your criticism There is a significant correlation between going to the hospital and dying so hospital are?
Indicate whether these passages contain a faulty move from correlation to cause. If so state your criticism? 1.There is a significant correlation between going to the hospital and dying ,so hospital are important causal factors in the occurrence of deaths.
What is the difference between cause and correlation?
Correlation means that two events are related. Causation means that one event caused another event to happen. Correlation isn't the same as causation.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of correlation method?
The advantage of the correlational research method is the ability to prove a positive or negative correlation between two subjects . The disadvantage of this is the unclear interpreation of cause and affect. moletsane
Can muscular pain cause fever?
No. There is no correlation between pulled muscles and fever. If they occur together, look for coincidences.
Is there any correlation between diarrhea and vomiting?
Yes there is, the cause of both can be due to side effects of some medicines you are taking or by food poison
Correlational study is it cause and effect?
No correlational study is not cause and effect because correlation does not measure cause.
What is the difference between correlation and relation?
In surveys, we find data that is "correlated", meaning one factor may have not directly interfered with another factor, yet the more of the X factor we have, the more of the Y factor we are likely to have (positive correlation).For example, if a survey says that teenage girls who do not eat dinner with their family are more likely to become pregnant before age 17, then there is a positive correlation between teen girls not eating dinner with family & teen pregnancy.Not eating dinner with one's family will not causepregnancy, but there is a strong relationship between the two.
