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Correlation vs. Causation | Differences, Designs & Examples
Correlation means there is a statistical association between variables. Causation means that a change in one variable causes a change in another variable.
Correlation and causation are two related ideas, but understanding their differences will help you critically evaluate and interpret scientific research.
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MORE IDEAS ON THIS
Usage, and meaning of 'imply'
In casual use, the word "implies" loosely means suggests rather than requires. However, in logic, the technical use of the word "implies" means "is a sufficient condition for".
Where there is causation, there is correlation, but also a sequence in time from cause to effect, a plausible mech...
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Example of illogically inferring causation from correlation
Example:
The faster that windmills are observed to rotate, the more wind is observed.
Therefore, wind is caused by the rotation of windmills.
In this example, the correlation (simultaneity) between windmill activity and wind velocity does not imply that wind is caused by windmi...
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Quotes
“Cars with flames painted on the hood might get more speeding tickets. Are the flames making the car go fast? No. Certain things just go together. And when they do, they are correlated. It is the darling of all human errors to assume, without proper testing, that one is the cause of the other.”
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Proven Evidence
Correlation is a valuable type of scientific evidence in fields such as medicine, psychology, and sociology. Correlations must first be confirmed as real, every possible causative relationship must be systematically explored. In the end correlation alone cannot be used as evidence for a cause-and...
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In other cases it may simply be unclear which is the cause and which is the effect.
For example:
Children that watch a lot of TV are the most violent. Clearly, TV makes children more violent.
This could easily be the other way round; that is, violent children like watching more TV than less violent ones.
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The relationship between A and B is coincidental
The two variables are not related at all, but correlate by chance. The more things are examined, the more likely it is that two unrelated variables will appear to be related. For example:
The result of the last home game by the Washington Commanders prior to the presidential election predic...
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CURATED FROM
IDEAS CURATED BY
Correlation verses Causation
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Other curated ideas on this topic:
Correlation is not causation
- Correlation: Scientists may find that two variables are correlated. They may be related, but it doesn't mean that one is causing the other. It could be a coincidence, or perhaps a third variable is causing both of the other two.
- Causation: Lots of ...
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