Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Spurious Correlations


Like most of you I'm teaching research methods.  One big idea that students often miss is the idea that you can't assume a cause and effect relationship when you find a correlation. This point is driven home by the "Spurious Correlations" found at this site.  These are sure to generate discussion in your class!

http://www.tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations






Best wishes for a great school year!
Kristin Whitlock

1 comment:

  1. Also, the creator of this website has compiled these examples into a book! I just ordered it, so I can't verify that you'd want a copy for your own classroom (yet), but it looks promising.

    ReplyDelete