Question

A student noted that the football team won by a larger margin when the third-string played more minutes. Therefore, he recommended that the third-stringers become the first team. His conclusion was probably erroneous because he___________.

Answer 1

His conclusion was probably erroneous because he failed to recognize that association is not causation.

Explanation:

• In the given example, the correlation between the variables in the event tried to be established by the student is not valid.
• More than the fact that his conclusion is incorrect, the reason behind it being erroneous is the student has merely guessed the correlation and without applying any solid logic to it.
• The nature of the error in the conclusion made by the student is 'random'.