How to Solve a Statistics Question #21. [HD]
0A study reported on the effects of vitamin C in breast milk for breast-feeding mothers. The children whose mothers had chosen to take high doses of vitamin C had a 30% lower risk of developing allergies. Can you conclude that the use of vitamin C caused the reduction in allergies? Why or why not?
Choose the correct answer below.
A. You cannot conclude that the use of vitamin C caused the reduction in allergies because the mothers are aware that they are in a study, confounding results. Eliminating this bias is necessary for identifying causation.
B. You cannot conclude that the use of vitamin C caused the reduction in allergies because the researchers did not randomly assign mothers to treatment and control groups. This step is necessary for identifying causation.
C. You can conclude that the use of vitamin C caused the reduction in allergies because the researchers did not know beforehand which mothers chose to take high doses of vitamin C, eliminating the possibility of bias. This is sufficient to identify causation.
D. You can conclude that the use of vitamin C caused the reduction in allergies because the mothers were separated into treatment or control groups when they elected whether to take high doses of vitamin C. This is sufficient to identify causation.
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