Question

does the correlation in the situation illustrate causation?
the more a person watches television, the more often they eat salad.
a) no, eating more salad likely does not cause someone to watch more television.
b) no, watching television likely does not cause someone to eat more salad.
c) yes, eating more salad likely causes someone to watch more television.
d) yes, watching television likely causes someone to eat more salad.

Explanation:

Correlation does not imply causation. Just because two variables (watching television and eating salad) are correlated (the more one watches TV, the more often they eat salad) does not mean that one causes the other. There could be other factors (confounding variables) at play or it could be a coincidence. For example, a person might have more free - time (which allows them to watch more TV) and also more time to prepare or purchase salad.

Answer:

B) No, watching television likely does not cause someone to eat more salad.