Its a Statistic question Critical Thinking Lurking Variable

It\'s a Statistic question: Critical Thinking: Lurking Variable Over the past 30 years in the United States, there has been a stong negative correlation between the number the number of infant deaths at birth and the number of people over age 65.

a) Is the fact that people are living longer causing a decrease in infant mortalities at birth?

b) What lurking variables migh be causing the increase in one or both of the variables? Explain.

Solution

a)

No. They have no practical relationship.

b)

Improvements in the technology of medicine at birth, or maybe better information dissemination, may have affected the number of deaths at birth.

The number of people over age 65 may be influenced by the amount of pollution in the air, or the economy of getting high quality medical care, may have caused less people above 65.