Akira dreamed that a handsome young man she had met the previous day asked her for a date.When he actually did call for a date several days later,Akira concluded that dreams accurately predict future events.Her belief best illustrates
A) regression toward the mean.
B) an illusory correlation.
C) random assignment.
D) a scatterplot.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Akira's belief that her dream accurately predicted the future event of the young man asking her out is an example of illusory correlation, which is when we perceive a relationship between two variables that does not actually exist. In this case, Akira believes there is a relationship between her dream and the future event, but in reality, the two are not causally related. The other options (regression toward the mean, random assignment, and scatterplot) do not apply to this scenario.

Akira Dreamed That a Handsome Young Man She Had Met