A study finds a positive correlation between the number of spots on the tail of male peacocks and their mating success.What would be the best followup experiment?
A)Count the number of spots on female tails and measure mating success.
B)Remove spots or add artificial spots to male tails and determine female responses.
C)Measure the sperm count of males and compare to spot count.
D)Inject testosterone and observe changes in spot count.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Adding or removing spots on male peacock tails and observing female responses would provide direct evidence of the causation between spot count and mating success. This experiment would control for other factors that may contribute to mating success, such as male behavior or physical condition, and isolate the effect of spot count. The other options do not test the causal relationship between spot count and mating success.

A Study Finds a Positive Correlation Between the Number of Spots