ATAR Notes: Forum
VCE Stuff => VCE Mathematics => VCE Mathematics/Science/Technology => VCE Subjects + Help => VCE General & Further Mathematics => Topic started by: Hydroxyl on April 14, 2016, 08:37:16 pm
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Hey guys!
This may sound like a small topic to ask on ANotes, but I thought I may as well.
Can someone please explain the differences in causation? (i.e.; Common Cause/Response, Confounding variables and Coincidence)? How would we identify a situation to be one of these three variables?
TL;DR: How can we distinguish between the differences in causation?
Thank You all!
-
Hey guys!
This may sound like a small topic to ask on ANotes, but I thought I may as well.
Can someone please explain the differences in causation? (i.e.; Common Cause/Response, Confounding variables and Coincidence)? How would we identify a situation to be one of these three variables?
TL;DR: How can we distinguish between the differences in causation?
Thank You all!
Hi there Omer,
Common Response:
-The two variables are associated because they are both strongly associated to a third common variable
Eg.
-An observed observation may be that sunscreen causes people to faint, yet both factors are strongly associated to a third variable of temperature.
Confounding Variables:
-When we have at lease two causal explanations for the observed associations and have no way of proving their separate effects.
Eg.
-Does unemployment cause increasing levels of crime? This may be a causal explanation but there could be other factors such as an economic downfall at the time.
Coincidence:
-The association is purely coincidental and it is impossible to identify any feasible confounding variables to explain a particular association.
Eg.
-The correlation between the consumption of margarine and divorce rates in America is r=0.99. This is purely coincidence.
**Remember that:
-However suggestive an association may be, this does not provide sufficient evidence to prove that the two variables are causally related.
I hope this helps :)
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Thank You!