The following questions relate to correlations vs causation, and the identification of mediating and moderating variables.
a. Researchers have found a relationship between people with depression and their likelihood to be diagnosed with different forms of cancer.
1. Is this a correlation or causation?
2. List two items that might represent mediating variables
b. A study has found a relationship between a child's achievements in school and the number of hours the child watches television. The relationship is inverse – the children watching television the most hours received the lowest scores in various tests.
1. Is this a correlation or causation?
2. List two items that might represent mediating variables.
c. A strong relationship has been observed between the quality of a university's library and the academic performance of the students.
1. Is this a correlation or causation?
2. List two items that might represent moderating variables.
