Case example for Associations and cause and effect

Definition : The term association means that two or more things are related or connected to one another. Here are some examples of associations:

One example of an association is seen with aspirin use and prevention of heart attacks. The more aspirin that a former heart-attack patient takes, the less likely it is that he/she will have another heart attack (American Heart Association, “Aspirin in Heart Attack and Stroke Prevention” Available: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4456, Accessed on February 15, 2005).

Here are some examples of positive and negative associations:

 

Variable 1	Variable 2	Direction of association	Explanation
Education level	Income level	Positive	As education level increases, so does income level.
Exercise	Weight	Negative	As exercise increases, weight decreases
Study time	Test score	Positive	As study time increases, test score increases
Sick days	Work productivity	Negative	As number of sick days increases, work productivity decreases