2.

Mr. Shakaib Khan

Chapter 3 – Two Variable Statistics

Key Terms
Line of best fit
Linear correlation
Correlation coefficient
Linear regression
Cause and effect relationship
Common cause relationship
Presumed relationship
Reverse cause and effect relationship
Accidental relationship
Residual plot
Residual
Outlier
Hidden variable
 2.1

3.4 Cause and Effect

Cause and Effect Relationship.

A strong correlation does not prove that the change in one variable effects a change in the
other variable. There are various types of relationships between variables.

1. Cause and Effect relation

A change in variable does effect a change in variable in this situation.

Example: The height from which the object is dropped

The impact velocity on the ground

2. Common Cause Factor

In this situation an external (third) variable causes the two variables to change.
Example: Amount of banana yield
Amoun of ice cream sales
Then an extraneous variable hot summer temperatures may be causing both
and to change.

3. Reverse Cause and Effect

In this situation the dependent and independent variables are exchanged.
Example: Amount of coffee drinking
Level of stress
It is possible, that higher stress levels induce people to drink more coffee.

4. Accidental Relation
In this situation we cannot determine the cause, but there seems to be a relation. An act of
God
Example: Number of women in university
Number of fashion shows on TV
 2.2

There does not seem to be a common cause in this case.

5. Presumed Relation
In this situation, it is mostly personal opinions and it is not covered in other cases.
Example: levels of fitness in people
Watching action movies

Relation

Yes No

Cause & Common

Effect Reverse Accidental Presumed
Cause

Check Solved Examples 1-2 and 3

Book Pages : 394-398
Problems from Pages: 399-401