What does the data really say? — Data Analyst · Pretender
Fictional data from Vale Novo: students who eat breakfast scored a bit higher in a maths quiz. People are already drawing conclusions. Which ones are fair? Separate fair conclusions from ones that go too far.
Sort into groups · ~3 min
Your role
You're the data analyst (in this game).
Your goal
Separate fair conclusions from ones that go too far.
What you know
- 120 students, one quiz, one week. Breakfast group average: 7.4 out of 10. No-breakfast group: 6.9.
Limits
- Two things happening together doesn't prove one causes the other.
Success looks like
- Link vs cause — You didn't confuse 'goes together' with 'causes'.
- Right scope — You kept conclusions to the people actually studied.
- Size of the effect — You described the difference as small, because it is.
Skills you used
- Logical thinking — Following steps and rules precisely.
- Fairness — Applying rules the same way for everyone.
In real life
'Correlation is not causation' is one of the first rules analysts learn. To test causes, scientists use careful experiments, and they report how big and how certain an effect is.
Data Analyst
Turn numbers into honest answers.
Explore next
- Software Developer — Build the apps and tools people use every day.
- Journalist & Fact-checker — Find the facts, check them and tell the story fairly.
- Lab Scientist — Ask questions and test them with fair experiments.
Keep exploring
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