Question

current attempt in progress
dr. edwards conducts a study where he finds that the rates of hospital emergency department admissions seem positively correlated with the likelihood of a full moon that evening. after careful consideration, he determines that this relationship is illusory. what does this mean?

the relationship indirectly demonstrates cause and effect.
the relationship appears to exist, but in fact it does not.
there was a violation of the double - blind procedure when data were gathered.
the two variables are confounds of each other.

Explanation:

• For the first option: An illusory relationship doesn't show cause - effect, so this is wrong.
• For the second option: "Illusory" means the relationship seems to be there but actually isn't, which matches the definition.
• For the third option: The problem doesn't mention double - blind procedure violation, so this is irrelevant.
• For the fourth option: Confounds are extraneous variables, not what "illusory" means here.

Answer:

B. The relationship appears to exist, but in fact it does not.