Professor Eli conducts a correlational study in which he concludes that the amount of sunlight children receive is positively correlated with the rate at which they grow. Which of the following conclusions would Professor Eli be incorrect in drawing from his correlational data?
A) Getting more sun causes children to grow faster.
B) The more sun children get the faster they seem to grow.
C) The faster children grow, the more sun they seem to get.
D) The less sun children get, the slower their rate of growth seems to be.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Correlational studies cannot establish causation, only associations between variables. Therefore, it would be incorrect for Professor Eli to conclude that getting more sun causes children to grow faster based solely on correlational data.

Professor Eli Conducts a Correlational Study in Which He Concludes