Correlation does not imply causation

Due to isolated incidents such as the Columbine or Sandy Hook shooting, some speculate that there is a correlation between playing video games and committing a heinous act against innocent people. This type of logic is simply unfounded, as any good statistician will point out. In fact, a 2004 report by the Secret Service into the causes of school attacks found that “The largest group of attackers exhibited an interest in violence in their own writings, such as poems, essays, or journal entries (37 percent, n = 15)” (Secret Service, 22) compared to just 12 percent of attackers exhibiting an interest in violent video games. Does this correlation imply that literature is causing children to become violent? Such an accusation is absurd, however, it has become standard to apply this same accusation to video games, despite the fact that the correlation is even lower than it is for…

shooters, bullying, and violence against women in schools definitely show a problem in the behavior of children today. Nonetheless, the use of video games can’t be generalized as a cause of violence in juveniles until a controlled experimental research is conducted to prove a cause and effect relationship between both aspects. Otherwise, the link between real-life and screened violence remains as a correlation that may…

variable. However, the sample used to conduct the study does not seem to be very representative. According to Russel a good sample is one that is both large and representative [1]. “The researchers collected data on more than a half-million people -- 308,736 men and 216,737 women [2abc]”.…

It involves addressing the following questions such as does a relationship exist and if it does, how strong is that relationship? Correlation doesn 't specifically look for causes and effects (Kovera,2010). It focuses only on whether there is a correlation between the x factors, y factors, and how strong that relationship is to the y variable output in your business process (Kovera,2010). In a scatter diagram that indicates a positive correlation of x and y variables, the data points fall to…

Correlation, also known as association, is the simultaneous variation in two variables. (Conley, pg. 46) Whereas, causation is the change in one factor of life directly causing a change in the other. (Conley, pg. 48) A causality is harder to prove than a correlation because more factors are needed to prove a causality. To prove causality three factors must be proven, correlation, time order, and ruling out alternative explanation. (Conley, pg. 48) Each one of these factors also have complex…

I dont cry anymore. Ive cried too much for my eyes to produce anymore tears of fear or happiness or sadness. But its not my fault. Ravens the reason I lost my tears. Raven has been a curse to my family for a long time. She’ll follow us everywhere. Whether it’s for vacation or school or even work. She’s always there. For us to get rid of her is impossible to even consider(12). We’ve tried priests, mediums, and even so called “Ghost Hunters.” They all say “a great evil is in the house” and yet…

Correlation isn't Causation To begin let us define correlation and causation. The correlation- Causation fallacy is the error of assuming that because one thing is associated with another, it must cause the other. The reason why its so important for people to understand the difference is because just because two things are a related to one another ( Correlation ) doesn't mean that one thing influence the outcome of the other( Causation ). For example, kids who get an allowance are more…

available for this research proposal due to the unavailability of making someone commit a crime and be a minority based on their wage earnings. Instead the nonequivalent group design will have to be conducted. By using this study it will be considered a threat to validity. Due to the fact a conclusion can viewed as if the experiment failed when truly it worked fairly as predicted and vice versa. Although it does allow the experiment to take the individuals background history and further research…

is a quote by Marcel Proust where he states that “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes”. I’d like to begin this project by using this as a point of reference for my analysis of a journal entry of scientific advancement. The reason I chose this particular quote is because it is very fitting for how some scientific discoveries come to be, especially when statistics are involved. Statistics have allowed for correlations to be made and for…

Modern day parenting: What are we doing wrong? In “Who’s Raising Baby?” by Anne R. Pierce this topic is discussed. Though there are some interesting arguments included in this article there are many weaknesses involved in this paper including lack of data, suggestion that correlation does equal causation, and emotional reasoning. “Who’s Raising Baby” is not a sufficient article due to poor research methods. Summary In “Who’s Raising Baby?” by Anne R. Pierce the author argues that in today’s…