#2 (permalink) Tue Jun 22, 2010 16:26 pm Examples of Correlation Without Causation |
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| This is the idea that two observed events are not necessarily related. For example, people drink more bottled water than they did in the past. There are also more murders than there were in the past. Because correlation, observing multiple events at the same time, is not the same as causation, one event leading to another, we cannot say that drinking bottled water leads to murder. |
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Marlowebeach New Member
Joined: 22 Jun 2010 Posts: 1 Location: Nc
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#3 (permalink) Thu Jun 24, 2010 15:22 pm Examples of Correlation Without Causation |
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There is a strong correlation between smoking and lung cancer, but you cannot say that smoking causes lung cancer because not all smokers end up with lung cancer. There is a strong correlation between helmet and preventing head injury, but you cannot say that helmet causes preventing head injury because not all helmet users end up with no head injury. Correlation is a two-way direction and each of them is independent and equal. A goes to B and even B goes to A in vice versa, interchangeably. You can say either way, there is a strong correlation between lung cancer and smoking. There is a strong correlation between preventing head injury and helmet.
On the other hand, causation is a one-way direction, one is dependent and the other one is independent. A only goes to B. B cannot go to A. Therefore, the occurrence of B depends on A. A is a predictor to B. For example, anxiety and heart rate in adults. You can say, the higher the anxiety, the more rapid the heart rate or anxiety causes increasing in heart rate. You cannot say that increasing in heart rate causes anxiety. Another example, human population and pollution in a given area. The more people in a given area, the greater the pollution. It doesn't mean that the greater the pollution, the more people in that area.
Every causation always has got a strong correlation, but not all strong correlation is a causation. Good luck, Lina _________________ I am looking for a skype partner to practice my English. |
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Linaseattle I'm here quite often ;-)

Joined: 01 May 2010 Posts: 161 Location: Seattle, Washington, USA
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