Each of these relationships reflects a correlation. Which relationship most likely reflects correlation but not causation?Choices:(A) When beekeepers collect more honey, they get more bee stings. (B) When store owners sell more jelly, they sell more bread. (C) When manufacturers make more peanut butter, they use more peanuts.
Q. Each of these relationships reflects a correlation. Which relationship most likely reflects correlation but not causation?Choices:(A) When beekeepers collect more honey, they get more bee stings. (B) When store owners sell more jelly, they sell more bread. (C) When manufacturers make more peanut butter, they use more peanuts.
Analyze Relationship of Option (A): Analyze the relationship of option (A): Does collecting more honey cause more bee stings? While there is a correlation between collecting honey and getting stung by bees, it is possible that the act of collecting more honey simply increases the exposure to bees, which in turn increases the likelihood of getting stung. The bee stings are not caused by the honey itself, but by the increased interaction with bees.
Analyze Relationship of Option (B): Analyze the relationship of option (B): Does selling more jelly cause more bread to be sold? This relationship is likely to be a correlation because people who buy jelly may also buy bread to go with it. However, selling jelly does not cause bread to be sold; it is the consumer's choice to purchase both items together that creates the correlation.
Analyze Relationship of Option (C): Analyze the relationship of option (C): Does making more peanut butter cause the use of more peanuts? This relationship is a clear example of causation because the production of peanut butter directly requires peanuts as an ingredient. Therefore, an increase in peanut butter production will necessarily cause an increase in the use of peanuts.
Select Correlation Without Causation: Select the option that most likely reflects correlation but not causation. Based on the analysis, option (B) "When store owners sell more jelly, they sell more bread" is the most likely to reflect correlation without causation. The sale of jelly does not cause the sale of bread; they are correlated because consumers often buy them together.