PMHS Name______
AP PSYCH
AIM: How are correlations both informative and misleading? What are scatterplots?
Correlation DOES NOT MEAN ______!!!
POSITIVE CORRELATIONS / NEGATIVE CORRELATIONS / ZERO CORRELATIONDefinition
Graph
Example(s)
Positive or Negative? Identify the relationship between the variables – positive or negative?
o There is a ______correlation between the number of cigarettes that one smokes a day and one's chances of contracting lung cancer
o There is a ______correlation between math scores and absences from math lessons
o There is a ______correlation between agreeableness and behavior problems. Adolescents who were more agreeable tended to have fewer behavior problems (or, adolescents who were less agreeable tended to have more behavior problems).
o There is a ______correlation between income and education. People with higher incomes also tend to have more years of education.
o There is a ______correlation between happiness and helpfulness—as people’s happiness level increases, so does their helpfulness (conversely, as people’s happiness level decreases, so does their helpfulness)
o There is a ______correlation between crying and being held. Among babies, those who are held more tend to cry less (or phrased as babies who are held less tend to cry more)
o There is a ______correlation between car weight and fuel.
o There is a ______correlation between years of education and jail time.
o There is a ______correlation between height and weight.
Third Variables - Many Americans read the correlation as cause and effect. CORRELATION DOES NOT MEAN CAUSATION! Rewrite the relationship using arrows. Explain how a third variable could influence the previous relationships.
o Hay yields are negatively correlated with the average springtime temperature.
o Sales of rum and number of Methodist ministers is positively correlated.
o There’s a positive correlation for children between # of violent TV programs viewed and violent behaviors.
o Positive correlation between exercise and weight loss.
o Negative correlation for children: those who receive the flu vaccine are less likely to suffer from the flu.
o There is a positive correlation between milk consumpstion and cancer.
o There is a positive correlation between the time that people spend watching television and the amount of crime that people commit
o Attention disorder linked positively with drug abuse.
o Educated people live longer, on average, than less educated people.
Correlations reported in Prudential commercial
The video says, “Studies show, you have a chance to live longer IF…”
· Eat a Mediterranean diet / ·· Drink a glass of wine everyday / ·
· Enjoy gardening / ·
· Live on a mountain / ·
· Are a woman / ·
· Work near indoor plants / ·
· Are Hispanic / ·
· Floss often / ·
· Live in the country / ·
· Do lots of yoga / ·
· Are a married person / ·
· Have four or more children / ·
· Occasionally indulge in dark chocolate / ·
· Are right-handed / ·
· Having a good relationship with mom / ·
· Having a younger mother / ·
· Having a name that begins with A / ·
· Having a pet / ·
Video ends with…If you have all these…. “THEN you can live longer”
Causality and Predictability
· The presence of a correlation between two variables merely demonstrates that the two
variables are ______or associated in some way.
· The relationship between two correlated variables has ***p______value. This means that if a strong correlation exists between variables, then knowing a person’s score on one variable allows us to predict a person’s score on the other variable.
Part I: Listed below are two sets of “headlines” for the same study. For each set, circle one that sounds more causal.
Remember, correlation does not mean c______, but many journalists present it this way!
· Memory retention enhanced by sleep
· People who sleep more, remember more!
· Kids who take music lessons have bigger brains.
· Music lessons improve kids’ brain development.
CAUSAL LANG / CORRELATIONAL LANG*Special thanks to Professor Mueller http://jonathan.mueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/100/correlation_or_causation.htm and http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/AP_CurricModPsych.pdf
FIRST: Decide whether the journalist writing the headline used CAUSAL or CORRELATIONAL LANGUAGE. Then, HIGHLIGHT the term that implies CAUSAL LANGUAGE or CORRELATIONAL LANGUAGE
1. Church attendance boosts immunity.______
2. Deep voiced men have more kids.______
3. Eat sweets, live longer.______
4. Credit cards make you fat and dumb______
5. Texting improves language skill______
6. Facebook users get worse grades in college______
7. Chocolate consumption causes Nobel prize winners______
8. Want a higher GPA? Go to private college!______
9. Recession causes increase in dating violence______
10. Kindergarten leads to crime______
11. Sugar rush…to prison! Study says lots of candy could lead to violence
12. Harsh verbal discipline increases…risk teens will misbehave,…exhibit symptoms of depression______
1------5------10
Dreadful experience Neutral/Unsure Enjoyable
Movies / YOUR Name / Name / Name / Name· Avengers
· Dark Knight
· Fast and Furious
· The Lucky One
· Perks of Being a Wallflower
· Jurassic World
· The Hunger Games
· The Fault in Our Stars
· Inside Out
· Happy Gilmore
· Alien v Predator
· Step Up
· Madea (any)
· Frozen
· Minions