As Kevin took his exam, he looked over each true/false question and thought about how confusing the test was for him. After a while, he seemed to observe a pattern: Every time a question confused him, the answer seemed to be false. Kevin was surprised when he got his test back and found that an equal number of confusing items were true and false. Which of the following thinking errors was involved in Kevin's perceived pattern of true/false answers?
A) Falsification
B) Confusing correlation with causation
C) Post hoc reasoning
D) Illusory correlation

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Kevin's perceived pattern of true/false answers is an example of an illusory correlation. He believed that there was a relationship between confusing questions and false answers, but this was not actually the case. Illusory correlations occur when people perceive a relationship between two variables when there is none, or when the relationship is much weaker than perceived.

As Kevin Took His Exam, He Looked Over Each True/false