Identify one popular media example of a correlation that could be argued to be a spurious correlation or that illustrates a correlation that may have an extraneous variable.
- Review popular online newspapers and/or online magazines to look for articles on research studies. Look for examples of statements and claims that might reflect a spurious correlation or an extraneous variable.Note: This is not a library assignment, nor should you look for articles that already have reported a spurious relation or extraneous variable. You need to make this connection yourself. For instance, you might see a headline in a news magazine that states something like “Fast-Paced Children’s Television Programming Linked to ADHD.” Look for examples like this.
- Identify one popular media example of a correlation that could be argued to be a spurious correlation or that illustrates a correlation that may have an extraneous variable.
- Briefly explain the example and the claim that has been made.
- Identify the predictor variable and the outcome variable.
- Identify the correlation. Is it a positive or negative correlation? How did you determine this to be the case?
- Identify your proposed spurious (third) variable or extraneous variable.
- Explain the connection you made among the spurious/extraneous variable and the outcome and predictor variables.
- Post the URLs for the media example at the end of your posting.