Question

Let x = the number of people who failed to complete high school and y = the number of infant deaths. According to the 1990 census, those states having an above-average value for the variable x tended to have an above-average value for y. In other words, there was a positive association between x and y. What is the most plausible explanation for this association?

Answer 1

Spurious correlation

Explanation:

The most plausible explanation for the positive association between the variables x and y is the presence of a third unseen or hidden variable, this variable is the state population size, i.e., the bigger the population state, more people who failed to complete high school and the number of infant deaths, this is also called spurious correlation or spurious relationship. The number of infant deaths has nothing to do with the number of people who failed to complete high school.