Correlation and Causation Math Vocabulary 9th grade

Fill in the Blank... A correlation is an ___________. It is ___________a cause-effect relationship. There may also be ___________. Answer Choice: Only 3 can be use.. "Reminders." association always lurking variables sometimes

A correlation is an association. It is sometimes a cause-effect relationship. There may also be lurking variables. *Note: Correlation is another term for linear association. Remember that when two variables correlate, it does not imply that changes in one variable caused changes in the other variable.

Correlation

A correlation is.... "a relationship between two variables." That relationship may or may not be a cause-effect relationship, which is called causation.

Example Of Lurking variable

A study of several cities shows that there is a positive correlation between the number of cell phones sold in a city and the number of cavities filled in that city. If there's a lurking variable, then a third variable is responsible for the relationship. The lurking variable is population. Cities with greater populations will have greater cell phone sales and greater numbers of people who have cavities to be filled.

Example Of causation

At a ski resort, there is a negative correlation between the temperature and the amount of snow on the mountain. If there's a causation, then there's a cause-effect relationship between the variables. Warm temperatures melt snow. This is causation.

Example Of coincidence

At one store, there is a negative correlation between the number of shoelaces sold and the number of clocks sold. There is no reason for a cause-effect relationship anterm-12d no reasonable lurking variable.

In a basketball study, a positive correlation is found between how many baskets a child can make and the child's reading level. Being a good reader does not make a child a good basketball player, and being a good basketball player does not make a child good reader. Which variable is most likely the lurking variable that explains the correlation? age math grade temperature number of siblings

Correct answer: Age Think about what could relate an athletic skill to an academic skill. The older a child is, the more capable the child is at sports and the more education the child received in reading.

A researcher finds a positive correlation between the number of ice-cream bars sold on a day and the number of sandals sold on the same day. Eating ice cream does not make people buy sandals, and buying sandals doesn't give people a craving for ice cream. Which variable is most likely the lurking variable that explains the correlation? age height shoe size temperature

Correct answer: Temperature Think about what the variables have in common. The warmer it is, the more people eat ice cream and the more people wear sandals.

Something to think of about Correlation

If two things have a correlation, they have some sort of connection. Other words/Related Words:..... association, correlation coefficient

Explain a Correlation

If two variables have a positive correlation, then the values go in the same direction—they increase together and they decrease together....... For example, the number of people in a home and the number of beds in a home is positively correlated. In general, as the number of people in the home increases, the number of beds increases. As the number of people decreases, so does the number of beds.

Example Of causation

In the summer months, there is a positive correlation between the number of plants in a homeowner's yard and the amount of the homeowner's water bill. If there's a causation, then there's a cause-effect relationship between the variables. Plants need water. Using more water creates a more expensive water bill.

Correlation

Is a Relationship.

Example How sometimes a correlation actually is a causation

That said, sometimes a correlation actually is a causation. For years, tobacco companies argued that smoking and lung cancer were simply a correlation, and perhaps lurking variables were to blame. But several long-term studies have proven there to be a causal relationship: Smoking does indeed cause lung cancer.

If two variables have a negative correlation

Then the values go in opposite directions—one increases as the other decreases........ For example, the number of people in a home and the amount of space per person in the home is negatively correlated. As the number of people in the home increases, the amount of space per person decreases.

If there's neither a causation nor a lurking variable.....

Then.... choose Coincidence.

Something to think of about lurking variable

When someone is lurking in the shadows, you can't see the person, but he or she is there. Other words/Related Words:........correlation, causation

Lurking variable "A lurking variable is a THIRD variable that is affecting the relationship between the two variables being studied."

a variable that is unobserved (the researcher is unaware of it) but may be the actual cause of an observed response

An outdoor reporter finds a positive correlation between the number of granola bars a hiker eats on a trip and the number of bug bites the hiker receives. What is a third variable that could explain the correlation? Select True or False for each choice. Potential variable: the distance the hiker travels True or False the hiker's favorite type of music True or False the type of hiking boots the hiker wears False or True the amount of time the hiker travels True or false

the distance the hiker travels. True The distance a hiker travels is a lurking variable. It seems reasonable that the greater the distance a hiker hikes, the longer he is exposed to bugs that may bite him. Answer True for this potential variable. the hiker's favorite type of music. False The hiker's favorite music does not affect the number of granola bars he consumes or the number of bug bites he may receive. It is not even clear if the hiker listens to music while hiking. Answer False for this potential variable. the type of hiking boots the hiker wears. False The type of hiking boots a hiker wears does not affect the number of granola bars he consumes or the number of bug bites he may receive. Answer False for this potential variable. the amount of time the hiker travels. True The amount of time the hiker travels is a lurking variable. The longer a hiker is exposed to bugs, the more bug bites the hiker is likely to receive. Answer True for this potential variable.