3.05 CORRELATION VS CAUSATION
A study showed that people who take a B12 vitamin daily have a significantly better chance of protecting against Alzheimer's disease than those who did not take the vitamin daily. Which of the following statements is/are correct? (5 points) This study provides evidence that taking a B12 vitamin daily contributes to protecting against Alzheimer's disease. The general health consciousness of people who take B12 vitamins could be a confounding variable. This is an observational study and not an experiment.
II and III only
High school students signed up to be subjects in a psychology experiment. When they arrive, they are told that interviews are running late, and they are taken to a waiting room. The experimenters have placed a sign in the waiting room next to a button that says, "Do not push under any circumstances." Some subjects are alone in the room and others are in pairs; these are the treatments being compared. Will the subject push the button? The students agreed to take part in an unspecified experiment, and the true nature of the experiment is explained to them afterward.Does this meet the requirement of informed consent? Explain. (5 points)
No, because they did not know the nature of the experiment before participating
A study revealed a strong, linear, positive association between the amount of shampoo used and the length of hair. Another study revealed a strong, linear, positive association between amount of conditioner used and the length of hair. When the data were combined, the association became negative.What is this an example of? (5 points)
Simpson's Paradox
An education company representative speaking on a local radio station has advocated that middle school students download a particular app on their phone. The individual cited a study of 1,000 randomly selected middle school seventh- and eighth-grade students that reported that students who downloaded the app on their phones, on average, scored 30 points higher on the Algebra I end-of-course exam than those who did not download the app. Which of the following statements is correct? (5 points)
There seems to be a relationship between the app and obtaining a higher score on the Algebra I exam.
