A cross-tabulation reveals a high degree of association between the wearing of swim trunks and the eating of ice cream. This is most likely an example of_____.
A) a causal relationship
B) spurious correlation
C) spurious noncorrelation
D) miscoding of data
E) none of the above

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This is likely an example of spurious correlation, where two variables appear to be related not because one causes the other, but because they are both related to a third variable (in this case, possibly hot weather, which encourages both wearing swim trunks and eating ice cream).

A Cross-Tabulation Reveals a High Degree of Association Between the Wearing