Which statement about correlation and causation is true?

Which statement about correlation and causation is true?

• A. It does not imply causation; a third variable could cause correlation.
• B. It proves causation.
• C. It guarantees a direct link.
• D. It implies the exact cause of changes.

Answer: (A)

Correlation measures how two variables move together, but it does not establish that one causes the other. A common reason for a correlation is a third variable that influences both, creating an association without a direct causal path. For example, as temperature rises, ice cream sales and beach attendance both increase; the temperature drives both, producing a correlation that doesn’t mean ice cream sales cause more people to attend the beach (or vice versa). To infer causation you’d need evidence of temporal order (the cause precedes the effect) and ruling out other confounding factors, typically through experimental designs or strong quasi-experimental methods that control for alternative explanations. The other statements overstate what correlation can show: it does not prove causation, it does not guarantee a direct link, and it does not reveal the exact cause of changes.

Correlation measures how two variables move together, but it does not establish that one causes the other. A common reason for a correlation is a third variable that influences both, creating an association without a direct causal path. For example, as temperature rises, ice cream sales and beach attendance both increase; the temperature drives both, producing a correlation that doesn’t mean ice cream sales cause more people to attend the beach (or vice versa).

To infer causation you’d need evidence of temporal order (the cause precedes the effect) and ruling out other confounding factors, typically through experimental designs or strong quasi-experimental methods that control for alternative explanations.

The other statements overstate what correlation can show: it does not prove causation, it does not guarantee a direct link, and it does not reveal the exact cause of changes.