a drug store notes that tissue sales are highest in the month of january. they also note that january is the…
a drug store notes that tissue sales are highest in the month of january. they also note that january is the coldest month. a) can we conclude that cold weather causes people to buy more tissues? why or why not? b) does correlation imply causation? explain.
Answer
Brief Explanations:
a) Just because tissue sales are high in the cold - est month (January) doesn't mean cold weather causes people to buy more tissues. There could be other factors like holidays in January where more people are indoors and exposed to germs, or marketing campaigns in January. b) Correlation does not imply causation. Just because two variables (tissue sales and cold weather in this case) are correlated (occur together), it doesn't mean one causes the other. There could be a third - variable or it could be a coincidence.
Answer:
a) No. There may be other factors influencing tissue sales. b) No. Correlation only shows a relationship, not a cause - and - effect link.