Does the fact that two phenomena occur at the same time imply that one is the cause of the other? How to interpret this simultaneity, which economists, in particular, call a correlation? This is what a statistician explains to his cat Albert in this short video.
If the countries where the inhabitants consume the most chocolate are also those that count the most Nobel prizes, does eating chocolate make us all the more intelligent? The statistician points out that any correlation does not reflect a causal relationship. He warns against hasty conclusions and invites readers to use their judgment when reading the press or scientific publications.
Source: Youtube « La statistique expliquée à mon chat » (Bruxelles)
Objective: Analysing a correlation, raising awareness of its difficulties of interpretation. While limiting the use of numbers, the video introduces the notions of correlation, causality, confounding factor. Through the figure of the cat Albert, the public is invited to think for itself and is thus introduced to statistical reasoning.
Audience: 12+
Language: French
Lenght: 4’49
To see other videos of the channel La statistique expliquée à mon chat.
On the same topic, do not hesitate to consult our quiz-dataviz “Getting data to talk” and our pedagogical guide "How to read infographies and datavisualisations?".
Published on 01 December 2016. Updated on 12 September 2019