Which of the following statements is the best evidence that viewing smoking in movies plays a causal (rather than correlational) role in influencing people's perception of smoking and willingness to try smoking?
A) Long-term trends show that increased or decreased incidence of smoking by adolescents follows increases or decreases in rates of smoking in movies.
B) The more adolescents smoke, the more smoking occurs in movies.
C) Advertisements for smoking occur more frequently, along with smoking by film actors.
D) Adolescent smoking occurs at roughly the same rate regardless of how smoking is depicted in films.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Option A provides evidence that changes in smoking rates in movies lead to changes in smoking rates in adolescents, indicating a causal relationship. This suggests that the movies are influencing the behavior of the adolescents, rather than the other way around, making it the best choice for evidence of causation. The other options either show correlation or do not provide sufficient evidence of causation.

Which of the Following Statements Is the Best Evidence That