Which term describes the relationship between two variables when one appears to be associated with the other but does not prove causation?

• A. Causation
• B. Association
• C. Correlation
• D. Regression

Answer: (C)

Two variables can move together without one causing the other, and that relation is called correlation. It describes whether changes in one variable tend to accompany changes in the other and how strong that link is, plus the direction (positive or negative). But correlation does not prove causation; there can be other factors at play or the relationship could be coincidental. For example, rainfall and crash frequency might be correlated, but that doesn’t prove rain directly causes crashes without considering driving behavior, road conditions, or vehicle maintenance. A broader term is association, which just means a relationship exists, not its form or strength, while regression is a method to model and predict the relationship.