Educational Researcher: A nationwide review of high schools reveals a strong positive correlation between schools offering competitive debate programs and schools reporting above-average scores on standardized mathematics assessments. Based on this data, the review concludes that participating in competitive debate inherently develops analytical skills that directly improve a student's mathematical reasoning.
Which one of the following most accurately describes a flaw in the researcher's argument?
- AIt takes for granted that if students have highly developed analytical skills, they must have participated in competitive debate.
- BIt overlooks the distinction between a school achieving a high average score and a school having a large absolute number of mathematically gifted students.
- It infers that a particular educational program causes an improvement in academic performance based solely on an observed positive association between the two.Cevap
- DIt fails to consider that students might also develop robust mathematical reasoning skills through other rigorous extracurricular activities.
- EIt treats the data regarding the high schools' mathematics assessment scores as the primary conclusion of the argument rather than as evidence supporting it.
Cevap
The argument is flawed because it infers that a particular educational program causes an improvement in academic performance based solely on an observed positive association between the two.
The correct answer accurately diagnoses the fundamental error in the researcher's reasoning: assuming that because two phenomena consistently appear together (debate programs and high math scores), one must be directly causing the other. It completely ignores the possibility of a third variable, such as school district wealth, which could simultaneously cause a school to afford both a debate team and better math resources.
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Correlation vs. Causation