Carlos, the president of a fraternity on campus, randomly sampled 500 students, asked them if they belonged to a fraternity or sorority, and asked them about their current GPA. He discovered that the GPAs of those people in fraternities and sororities are higher than those of people who are not involved in the Greek system. Gleefully, he presented his findings to the dean, saying that being involved in a fraternity or sorority leads to higher grades. What rule of research methods is Carlos breaking?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Carlos is breaking the rule of correlation does not equal causation. Just because there is a correlation between involvement in Greek life and higher GPAs, it does not mean that being in a fraternity or sorority actually causes higher grades. It is possible that there are other factors at play, such as the type of students who join fraternities and sororities, or the resources available to Greek organizations, that lead to higher grades.

Carlos, the President of a Fraternity on Campus, Randomly Sampled