in cases here one variable seems to cause another yet the re

in cases here one variable seems to cause another, yet the relationship between makes no sense, there is a?

a. Spurious relationship

b. synthetic

nomothetic

cauasal

correlational

Solution

This indicates a spurious relationship. In a spurious relationship, one vairable seems to cause the other but their relationship is wrongly inferred due to coincidence or present of a third variable (called confounding variable). For eg. sales in ice cream increases with decrease in sales of jackets. It may sound like one event causes the other but theey both are caused by a third event which is the arrival of summer.