Can it please be further explained how exactly Mehran was able to determine that Anthony's passage was that of a correlating relationship?
In general, I am very confused with how to distinguish between correlation and true cause and effect...and tips on how to do so?
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A correlation is a descriptive relationship. That is, it shows that two variables are related. Many instances in which one sees an author use statistics to prove a point are correlations. For instance, saying that X% of people who do Y thing have Z outcome is a correlation. We are citing statistics that describe how the world is.
This is different from causation. We could show that 100% of people who eat ice cream also drink water. What does this prove? Nothing. Causation is when one thing causes another- and is incredibly difficult to prove. A descriptive relationship that shows that two variables are connected in some way (e.g. heroin and marajuana) does not prove that one thing causes the other. It is possible they both have a common cause, or that the relationship is simply a coincidence. I would recommend the office hours, I think there are a few about correlation/causation flaws.
