Correlation vs. Causation Discussion
In this discussion, you will explore the differences between correlation and causation. For example, there is a correlation between smoking and lung cancer. We cannot directly say smoking causes lung cancer since there are chain smokers that never develop lung cancer. There is a correlation between a sedentary lifestyle (no exercise) and strokes. A car crash would be a direct cause of a broken bone so this is causation.
There was a sad news story about a woman pushing an elderly man off a bus because she was irritated that he was going so slow and told her to be “nice” when she complained. The elderly man died a month later. Would he have died anyway? Is there direct causation between the events? Is there simply a correlation? Is there no connection? The woman was charged with murder but the attorneys will probably introduce his age as a possible cause. He initially refused treatment, is there a correlation relationship with this refusal? These are all questions that will have to be explored in this case.
Find your own events in real life or the medical field and explore possible causations and correlations.
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