Crystal wants her boyfriend, James, to quit smoking, so she tells him about the positive relationship between smoking and lung cancer. James responds by arguing that "my grandpa smoked two packs a day for his entire life and never got cancer." Which of the following statements regarding correlations applies to this situation?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Anecdotes, or individual stories or experiences, do not provide evidence that refutes the existence of a correlation. Just because James' grandfather did not get lung cancer despite smoking heavily, does not mean that smoking is not correlated with an increased risk of developing lung cancer. Correlations are based on larger groups and data analyses, and can provide important insights into the relationships between variables.

Crystal Wants Her Boyfriend, James, to Quit Smoking, So She