If you read that a correlational study has found that children who participate in more extracurricular activities have higher self esteem, you could conclude that
A) participating in extracurricular activities makes children feel good about themselves.
B) getting children to participate in more extracurricular activities will lead to increases in self esteem.
C) participation in extracurricular activities is associated with higher self esteem.
D) high self-esteem drives children to seek out activities at which they can excel.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The correlational study has found that participation in extracurricular activities is associated with higher self-esteem. This means that there is a relationship between the two variables, but we cannot infer causation or direction of the relationship. It could be that participating in extracurricular activities leads to higher self-esteem, or it could be that children with higher self-esteem are more likely to participate in extracurricular activities. Therefore, it is not appropriate to conclude that participating in extracurricular activities causes higher self-esteem (choice A) or that increasing children's participation will lead to increases in self-esteem (choice B). It is also not appropriate to conclude that high self-esteem drives children to seek out activities (choice D) without further evidence.

If You Read That a Correlational Study Has Found That