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A study found that criminal assaults are positively correlated with increased purchases of ice cream. This correlation can best be explained by ______

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Answer: Spurious correlation

Explanation: Correlation refers to statistical relationship between two variables. The relationship may be either positive or negative such as, an increase in variable X as variable Y increases or decrease in variable X as variable Y increases and vice-versa. However, a Spurious correlation occurs when there is a statistical relationship between two variables but there is no causal connection between them. That is, increase or decrease in one variable has no causal effect on the changes that occur in the other variable. The mathematical relationship which exist between these two variables may either be due to coincidence or third unseen variable. Hence, such relationship is termed as Spurious Correlation.

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