Final answer:
The statement is false; while correlation indicates a relationship between two variables, causation indicates one variable directly causes changes in another, which cannot be established through nonexperimental, observational studies alone.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement is False. In a nonexperimental study, correlation and causation are not the same. Correlation refers to a relationship between two variables where changes in one variable are associated with changes in another. However, this does not necessarily mean that one variable causes the other to change. Correlation can be positive, negative, or null, but establishing causation requires evidence that changes in one variable directly result in changes in the other, often demonstrated through controlled experiments.
For instance, studies might show that smoking is positively correlated with lung cancer rates because they increase together. However, saying that smoking causes lung cancer requires careful experimental design or multiple lines of evidence establishing causation, which is beyond mere correlation.