Question

relating correlation and causation
michael surveyed the basketball team and found a positive correlation of ( r = 0.12 ) between students missing games due to academic probation and spikes in the teams scoring average. he concluded that students with poor grades did not score as many points as those with good grades, and the students with poor grades caused the team to score fewer points while on the court.
michael does not have a good argument because the information he used shows a positive correlation, which does not imply
an association between variables
a causation between variables
the strength of the relationship

Explanation:

A correlation coefficient \(r = 0.12\) is a weak positive correlation. Correlation (even a strong one) does not imply causation. Just because there is a correlation between students missing games due to academic probation and spikes in the team's scoring average does not mean that the students with poor grades (missing games) are causing the team to score fewer points. There could be other factors at play (like other players stepping up when some are out, etc.).

Answer:

The first blank should be "weak" (since \(r = 0.12\) is close to 0, indicating a weak correlation) and the second blank should be "a causation between variables".