Much has been written about the relationship between students SAT test scores and their familys income. Generally speaking, there is a strong positive correlation between income and SAT scores. Consider and discuss the following questions as you respond:
- What does this correlation tell you?
- Is this correlation evidence that having a high family income causes one to have high SAT scores?
- Is this correlation evidence that high SAT scores cause higher income? Or does this tell you something else? Explain your answer.
- Explain why correlation alone is rarely sufficient to demonstrate cause.
- Provide a personal example of two variables that may be correlated but not have a cause and effect relationship. Identify what type of bivariate correlation is involved, based on the measurement scales of the variables.
