Directions

Questions 16-17:

The primary objective of this activity is to familiarize ourselves with the skill of reading and recognizing statistics within our field. The use of statistics is not only limited to journal articles; they are often summarized and presented by journalists in news articles, blogs, on TV, etc. Being able to decipher the true message of the original journal article and recognize any potential misinterpretations is crucial for becoming a critical and numerate consumer of research.

Step 1: Read

Read this NPR story https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/10/26/773531999/dog-people-live-longer-but-why. that summarized several studies that have tested the correlation between longevity and dog ownership.

Step 2: Answer the Following Questions

16. Do other possible factors influence the association between dog ownership and the reduction in the risk of death? How? (3 pts)

17. Within the article, the expert believes the "signal is real and likely causal" and then admits that "it's not definitive." You can set this expert straight! Why can't this correlational study support causation? (3 pts)