In Chapter 2, the problem of respondent honesty was discussed.  Imagine that you are designing a survey about an uncomfortable topic such as pornography use, plagiarism, or abortion.  How would you adequately prepare your research project in a manner that maximizes respondent honesty?

Correlation, Causality, and Spurious Relationship

COLLAPSE

Let’s discuss correlation and causality.  To explain this, we can use an example of illness.  When doctors see some symptoms in the patient, they may or may not be clear what disease the patient has. If doctors know what disease the patient has, they can cure the disease.  However, often doctors treat symptoms without curing the disease.  They are dealing with a correlation, not causality.  Do you see the difference between correlation and causality?  Next, let’s discuss spurious relationship.  Can you give an example of it?  In this thread, provide an example that illustrates the difference between correlation and causality. Provide also an example of spurious relationship.  Make sure to come up with your own example.  If it’s used by someone else, do not use it.  Post early to get your original ideas in!