Professor Eli conducts a correlational study in which he concludes that the amount of sunlight children receive is positively correlated with the rate at which they grow. Which conclusion would Professor Eli be incorrect in drawing from his correlational data?
A) Getting more sun causes children to grow faster.
B) The more sun children get the faster they seem to grow.
C) The faster children grow, the more sun they seem to get.
D) The less sun children get, the slower their rate of growth seems to be.

Question

Professor Eli conducts a correlational study in which he concludes that the amount of sunlight children receive is positively correlated with the rate at which they grow. Which conclusion would Professor Eli be incorrect in drawing from his correlational data?
A) ​Getting more sun causes children to grow faster.
B) ​The more sun children get the faster they seem to grow.
C) ​The faster children grow, the more sun they seem to get.
D) ​The less sun children get, the slower their rate of growth seems to be.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Correlational studies cannot determine causation, so Professor Eli cannot conclude that getting more sun causes children to grow faster based on his correlational data. The other conclusions are simply describing the correlation found in the study and are not causative claims.

Professor Eli Conducts a Correlational Study in Which He Concludes