Which of these would be an example of Simpson's paradox?
A) Teachers' salaries and sales of alcoholic beverages have risen together over time, but paying teachers more does not cause higher alcohol sales.
B) Chicago Cubs have a higher winning percentage than the St. Louis Cardinals versus every N. L. Central team, but St. Louis has a higher winning percentage when we combine all N. L. Central teams.
C) The percent of surgery patients who are given Anesthetic A and who die is higher than the percent for Anesthetic B, but this is because Anesthetic A is used in more serious surgeries.
D) States in which a smaller percent of students take the SAT exam have higher median scores on the SAT.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Simpson's paradox occurs when a trend appears in different groups of data but disappears or reverses when the groups are combined. In this scenario, the winning percentage of the Cubs versus individual teams is higher, but the winning percentage of the Cardinals versus all teams combined is higher.

Which of These Would Be an Example of Simpson's Paradox