Question

iva is studying whether eating meals in the cafeteria is linked to weight gain during the first year of college. she asks all the incoming first-year students about their weights and the number of cafeteria meals they eat each week in the fall, and then she collects the weights and number of cafeteria meals per week from them again at the end of the spring term. identify the type of correlation that iva should examine for each goal.

Answer 1

Iva should examine the type of correlation between the number of cafeteria meals students eat per week and their weights, which could be either positive or negative, while keeping in mind that correlation does not imply causation.

Step-by-step explanation:

Iva is conducting a research study that examines the relationship between eating meals in the cafeteria and weight gain during the first year of college. To achieve this, Iva should look into the type of correlation that exists between the number of cafeteria meals students eat each week and their weights.

There are two types of correlations Iva can consider: positive correlation and negative correlation. A positive correlation would mean that as the number of cafeteria meals increases, so does the weight of the students, whereas a negative correlation means that as the number of cafeteria meals increases, the students' weight tends to decrease.

It is crucial to remember that a correlation, whether it's positive or negative, does not imply causation. There might be other factors that contribute to weight changes, so Iva cannot conclude that cafeteria dining causes weight gain solely based on correlation.