SMAT 130B-01 – CRN: 10227: What does it mean to say​ “correlation does not imply​ causation”? List a pair of variables that have correlation but no​ cause-and-effect relationship.

Posted: November 30th, 2022

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Part 1

What does it mean to say​ “correlation does not imply​ causation”?

A.

The fact that two variables are strongly correlated implies a​ cause-and-effect relationship between the variables.

B.

Two variables that have a​ cause-and-effect relationship are never correlated.

C.

The fact that two variables are strongly correlated does not in itself imply a​ cause-and-effect relationship between the variables.

Your answer is correct.

D.

Two variables can only be strongly correlated if there existed a​ cause-and-effect relationship between the variables.

Part 2

Which of the following pairs of variables have​ correlation, but no​ cause-and-effect relationship?

A.

Number of school buses at a school and the number of students at a school

B.

The number of students per teacher at a school and the number of teachers at a school

C.

Number of school buses at a school and the number of teachers at a school

Your answer is correct.

D.

The number of students per teacher at a school and the number of students at a school