A car dealership conducted a survey

Question

1. A car dealership conducted a survey. It showed that a younger customer tended to purchase a lower priced car. What is likely true? 

A) There is no correlation between age and purchase price.  

B) There is a correlation between age and purchase price. There may or may not be causation. Further studies would have to be done to determine this. 

C) There is a correlation between age and purchase price. There is probably also causation. This is because there is a decrease in the purchase price with a decrease in age. 

 

2. A doctor's office found that a lower outside temperature did not indicate a change in the number of appointments made. What can we determine from this information? 

A) There is no correlation between outside temperature and number of appointments made.  

B) There is a correlation between outside temperature and number of appointments made. However, there is no causation. This is because there is likely an increase in the number of appointments made with a decrease in the temperature outside. 

C) There is a correlation between outside temperature and number of appointments made. There may or may not be causation. Further studies would have to be done to determine this. 

 

3. Ms. King examined her students' biology test scores and study time. She found that students who studied longer did not necessarily earn higher or lower scores on the test. What conclusion should she make? 

A) There is no correlation between test score and amount of time spent studying.  

B) There is a correlation between test score and amount of time spent studying. There is probably also causation. This is because there might be an increase in a student's test score with an increase in the amount of time spent studying. 

C) There is a correlation between test score and amount of time spent studying. There may or may not be causation. Further studies would have to be done to determine this. 

Answer 1

1. A car dealership conducted a survey. It showed that a younger customer tended to purchase a lower priced car. What is likely true? 

B) There is a correlation between age and purchase price. There may or may not be causation. Further studies would have to be done to determine this. 

All this survey says is that younger people buy cheaper cars. It doesn't say why, and please remember that causation and correlation are not the same! (Just because two things occur together doesn't mean that one caused the other.)

2. A doctor's office found that a lower outside temperature did not indicate a change in the number of appointments made. What can we determine from this information? 

A) There is no correlation between outside temperature and number of appointments made.  

Again, correlation and causation should never be confused. NEVER make assumptions about studies without collecting good data; this is how bias comes in, opinions are swayed, and facts are changed.

This question is straightforward.

3. Ms. King examined her students' biology test scores and study time. She found that students who studied longer did not necessarily earn higher or lower scores on the test. What conclusion should she make? 

A) There is no correlation between test score and amount of time spent studying.  

As odd as it seems, the only thing we can conclude from Ms. King's data is what she sees. There is no direct correlation between study time and test scores.