Correlation Is Not Causation

            Correlation can be described as the relationship that exists between two variables which are involved in change together.  Correlation can either occur as positive and negative. A positive correlation implies that as a single variable increase the other involved variable also increases (Brent, & Lewis, 2014).  For instance, the variable that the demand increases in consumption of beverages results in increased crime rate.  A negative correlation is when a certain variable increase while the other variable decreases (Brent, & Lewis, 2014).  For instance, as the socio-economic status changes positively the variable of infant death rates decreases.

            Causation, on the other hand, refers to the relationship that is developed when a single variable results in another. Correlation is therefore not causation because in order for a cause to be developed the existing variables but be related (Shepard, 2010). Additionally the fact that two variables are directly related does not necessary mean that one of them causes the other variable.  For instance, the fact that it is well established that smoking may lead to the development of cancer does not guarantee that all those who smoke will develop lung cancer.  Therefore smoking is not a sufficient lung cancer cause.  Smoking is additionally not a cause that is necessary to acquire lung cancer as other factors and activities may result in the development of lung cancer.  This implies that even those individuals who are not involved in smoking can develop the disease.  Causation often generates unrealistic concepts which are associated with sufficient causation.  It is thus clear that every event is not characterized by one cause as causation cannot be a correlation because it is just an existing relation to the range of the general causes (Shepard, 2010).

 

            References

Brent, E. E., & Lewis, J. S. (2014). Learn sociology.

Shepard, J. M. (2010). Sociology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.