Correct Answer: Correct answer is: (C) A statistical relation of X and Y is insufficient evidence for inferring causality.
Exam Relevance: AP Statistics, GRE, GMAT, Psychology Exams
Difficulty: Moderate
Concept notes: To infer causality, more than just a statistical relationship is required. Additional criteria such as temporal order, ruling out confounding variables, and establishing a plausible mechanism are necessary.
Common Mistakes: Students often mistakenly believe that a strong statistical correlation implies causation, which is a common logical fallacy.
Explanations: A statistical relationship between two variables X and Y does not provide sufficient evidence to infer causality. To establish causality, it is necessary to demonstrate that changes in X lead to changes in Y, and that this relationship is not due to other factors. This requires additional evidence beyond mere correlation, such as temporal precedence, ruling out confounding variables, and establishing a plausible causal mechanism.
Option Analysis: - Option A: This statement is incorrect because a statistical relationship alone is not enough to infer causality.
- Option B: This statement is incorrect because the temporal order of the cause and effect is crucial in inferring causality.
- Option C: This statement is correct because a statistical relationship alone is insufficient to infer causality.
- Option D: This statement is incorrect because additional criteria beyond temporal order and statistical relationship are needed to infer causality.
Ques 51 explanation is not related to the question…
Very useful question but plz give explanation with correct answer