Correlation vs Causation
Two things happening together doesn't mean one caused the other — recognise the difference between correlation and causation before drawing conclusions
What a learner can do afterwards
- developmental changes in children's recognition of evidence relevance to causal explanations
- causal learning research
The lesson
Sometimes two things happen at the same time, or one follows right after the other. It's easy to think one made the other happen. But that's not always true. When two things just happen together, we call that a correlation.
Causation is different. Causation means one thing truly makes the other happen. Two things can be correlated without either one causing the other.
Many kids who eat breakfast also get good grades. Does breakfast cause good grades? Maybe, but maybe those kids also get more sleep, and sleep helps grades too. There could be another reason behind both.
Before you say one thing caused another, ask yourself: could something else explain both things?
Two things happening together doesn't prove one caused the other. Always look for another explanation.
Watch it
Where it sits
Where this leads
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.