What is the headline of this article?
“Trust in government linked to work attitudes”
What are two variables of this research?
Variable 1: people's level of confidence governmental institutions
Variable 2: general job satisfaction and work commitment.
Is it a positive or a negative correlation?
This seems to have a positive correlation as the research shows that as trust in the government
increases positive work attitudes and overall job satisfaction also increase. The article explains
that people who have higher trust in their government tend to report better job satisfaction and
strong commitment to their organizations. Both variables move in the same direction, When one
goes up, the other goes up as well.
In your opinion, does the article imply a cause and effect relationship? (which would be incorrect
because correlation does not prove causation) support your opinion with evidence from the
article.
Yes, the article does imply a cause and effect relationship which is incorrect. Since this is
correlation research. The headline itself uses the word "linked" which is appropriate for
correlation, but the article's language in the text suggests causation and several places, For
example, the article discusses how trust in government “influences” work attitudes and explains
how mechanisms through which government trusts might “affect” employee behavior. The
researchers were not able to manipulate whether people trust the government or not, so they
cannot prove that. Trusting the government causes better work attitudes. There could be other
explanations like people with generally positive outlooks. Might both trust the government more
and have better work. Attitudes or economic conditions might influence both variables at the
same time.
What is the headline of this article?
“Children who drank whole milk had lower risk of being overweight or obese”
What are two of the variables in this research?
Variable 1: Type of milk consumed
Variable 2: Whether children were overweight or obese measured by BMI
Is it a positive or a negative correlation?
This holds a negative correlation. The research shows that as whole milk consumption is
increased the likelihood of being overweight or obese decreases. Children who drank whole
milk were less likely to be overweight compared to children who drank reduced fat milk. The
variables move in opposite directions. More whole consumption is associated with lower obesity
risk.
In your opinion, does the article imply a cause and effect relationship? (which would be incorrect
because correlation does not prove causation) support your opinion with evidence from the
article.
Yes again, the article strongly implies a cause and effect relationship which is misleading. The
headline itself suggests that drinking whole milk leads to lower obesity risk by stating children
“who drank whole milk had lower risk”. That's out right implying the milk caused the outcome.
The article discusses possible mechanisms for why whole milk actively prevents obesity such as
keeping children fuller longer which further suggests causation. However, researchers cannot
randomly assign children to drink only whole milk or only low fat milk for years. So this cannot
be a true experiment in that sense of scale, alternate explanations exist, For example, families
who give their children whole milk might have other health behaviors like cooking more at home
and limiting processed foods that would actually explain the lower obesity rates. The correlation
could also be reversed. Parents of already healthy weight children might feel more comfortable
giving them whole milk or parents of heavier children might switch to low-fat milk trying to help
them lose weight in the first place.