What can a correlation tell us?
Look for an explanation connecting two things that vary together.
The picture in words
- A pattern
- Two variables can vary together.
- A possible common cause
- Warm weather could influence both purchases and sunscreen use.
- Further evidence
- Comparisons help evaluate competing explanations.
Reading the illustration
This is an invented teaching example. The arrows propose a common-cause explanation for the observed association.
Try a question
What third variable could connect the two outcomes in this example?
Show the explanation
Warm weather could increase both. Testing that explanation would require information about the conditions in which the pattern occurs.
Read the sources
- Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020). Psychology 2e. OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/2-3-analyzing-findingsSelected introductory passages inspected