This was interesting to watch. They claim a correlation between religion and lower IQs, however, they kind of shatter the first rule of scientific inquiry. Correlations NEVER imply causation. The problem with correlation studies is that a relationship can exist, but it does not give us rock solid evidence that one variable of the relationship is causing the other; nor do correlation studies show us which variable is causing which (the direction is uncertain)? Unless you were to put someone in an isolated laboratory and control for all the variables, one can infer little from correlations. Correlations can help us grasp a few things that cannot be done in the lab, but we have to be careful as scientists/critical thinkers stating that correlations are analogous to cause and effect relationships.A person can eat oranges everyday and come down with cancer; that doesnt mean the oranges CAUSED the cancer, as there might be a multitude of other variables co-existing that caused the cancer, (heredity, carcinogens etc.). Thus endeth the lesson on the shortcomings of correlation studies.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 12:47:55 +0000
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