September 27, 2025

What Is The Difference Between Correlation And Causation

Q: What is a confounding variable?

A confounding variable is an outside influence that affects both variables being studied, often giving a false impression of a direct causal link. In the example, 'hot weather' is the confounding variable.

Q: How do scientists establish causation?

Establishing causation typically requires controlled experiments where variables can be manipulated and isolated to prove that a change in one variable directly causes a change in another, while accounting for all other factors.

Learn the key distinction between correlation and causation. Understand why two variables moving together doesn't necessarily mean one causes the other.

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Defining Correlation and Causation

Correlation is a statistical measure that describes a mutual relationship or connection between two or more things. When two variables tend to move together, they are correlated. Causation, on the other hand, indicates that one event is the direct result of the occurrence of another event; there is a cause-and-effect relationship.

Example: Ice Cream and Sunburns

A classic example is the correlation between ice cream sales and the number of sunburns. As ice cream sales increase, so do sunburns. However, eating ice cream does not cause sunburns. A third variable, hot weather, causes both an increase in ice cream consumption and more people getting sunburned. This illustrates the famous principle: 'correlation does not imply causation'.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a confounding variable?

How do scientists establish causation?