Re: Studies/Research....How Much Do You Trust Them?
Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2017 3:02 pm
By the way, here is a middle school exercise on correlation vs causation. It seems very worthwhile.
http://www.letsgethealthy.org/wp-conten ... eCream.pdf
Here's what they have to say about sharks vs ice cream:
http://www.letsgethealthy.org/wp-conten ... eCream.pdf
Here's what they have to say about sharks vs ice cream:
This is supposed to be an illustrative example of falsely ascribed causation. If it is distracting we can surely move on to something else.SCENARIO KEY
Scenario 1: As ice cream sales increase, the rate shark attacks increases sharply. Therefore, increase in ice cream sales causes shark attacks since consuming ice cream makes people tastier to sharks.
Explanation: The aforementioned example fails to recognize the importance of time in relationship to ice cream sales. Ice cream is sold during the summer months at a much greater rate, and it is during the summer months that people are more likely to engage in activities involving water, such as swimming. The increased shark attacks are simply caused by more exposure to water based activities, not ice cream.