Question

As your textbook discusses, a statistician once discovered that in one of the United States there was a negative correlation between the number of PhDs granted and the number of mules in that state. The fact that you cannot then state that the number of PhDs conferred causes the mule population to decrease demonstrates which principle of critical thinking?
O correlation vs. causation
O extraordinary claims
O ruling out rival hypotheses
O falsifiability

Answer 1

Answer: correlation vs. causation

Explanation:

Correlation assesses the relationship between variables and can be in the same direction,  where the increase in one exists as the same time as an increase in the other variable or inverse where an increase in one variable occurs when there is a decrease in the second variable. However, this correlation does not indicate causation.

Causation signifies that one variable is responsible for the occurrence of  an event in the other variable. Clearly, there is no cause and effect between the number of mules and doctorate degrees in a state. Here, there is a correlation but a fundamental causative factor is absent between the two events.