Ten-year-old Tommy observes that people who play hockey are larger than average and tells his mom that he's going to play hockey because it will make him big and strong. What is the problem with Tommy's logic?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Tommy is mistaking correlation for causation. Just because hockey players tend to be larger than average does not mean that playing hockey causes someone to become larger or stronger. It could be that people who are naturally larger and stronger are more likely to choose to play hockey.

Ten-Year-Old Tommy Observes That People Who Play Hockey Are Larger