A study of many countries finds a strong positive correlation between the life expectancy in a country and the number of Facebook users in the country. This means that:
A) Facebook use is a major contributing cause of longer life.
B) life expectancy could be significantly increased by having more people start Facebook accounts.
C) in countries where life expectancy is high, the number of Facebook accounts tends to be low.
D) in countries where the number of Facebook accounts is low, life expectancy tends to be high.
E) None of the answer choices are correct.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Correlation does not imply causation. The statement only indicates a relationship between life expectancy and the number of Facebook users, not that one causes the other. Choices A and B suggest causation, which is not supported by the statement. Choices C and D are incorrect interpretations of the correlation described.

A Study of Many Countries Finds a Strong Positive Correlation