Psychology MCAT Practice Exam 2025 – Complete All-in-One Guide to Ensure Your Success!

Correlation and causation are fundamental concepts in psychology and research methodology, and they are often mistakenly conflated. Correlation refers to a statistical relationship between two variables, indicating that as one variable changes, the other tends to change as well, either in the same direction (positive correlation) or in opposite directions (negative correlation). However, correlation does not imply that one variable directly influences or causes changes in the other.

Causation, on the other hand, suggests a direct influence where one variable (the cause) leads to a change in another variable (the effect). This means that for causation to be established, one variable must directly affect the other, which often requires additional evidence or experimental manipulation to rule out other explanations, such as confounding variables or coincidence.

The correct answer highlights that correlation merely points to a relationship between variables, while causation specifically indicates that one variable has a direct impact on another. Recognizing this distinction is critical in research, as drawing causal conclusions from correlational data can lead to inaccurate interpretations and potentially flawed decision-making.