Question

A retail analyst computes a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.87 between the number of ice cream sales and the number of drowning incidents recorded over the past year. A manager concludes that selling ice cream causes drowning and proposes limiting ice cream sales to improve safety. How should the analyst best respond to this conclusion?

Accepted Answer

The correlation likely reflects a confounding variable, such as warm weather, and does not establish that one variable causes the other.

Answer

The strong correlation confirms causation, so the manager's proposal is statistically justified.

Answer

A coefficient of 0.87 is too weak to indicate any meaningful relationship between the variables.

Answer

The negative direction of the relationship means fewer ice cream sales would increase drownings.