The following question will be asked on your midterm exam. It is worth 16% of the grade on the exam.

Often the advertisements you see on TV, hear on radio, or read in the print media make claims that are vague and difficult to evaluate. For example, in one commercial for Nike running shoes, a famous athlete points to his feet and says "It's the shoes". On the one hand, the statement may mean that there is a correlational relation such that people who wear Nikes tend to have superior athletic performance compared to people who don't wear Nikes. On the other hand, the statement may mean that there is a causal relation between wearing Nikes (cause) and improved athletic performance (effect).

Imagine you are asked by a government agency to test the truth of Nike's claim. Design two studies, one to test whether there is a correlational relation between wearing Nike shoes and superior athletic performance (e.g., individual's speed and agility as measured by performance on a 100-meter run, long jump, and high jump) and the other to test whether there is a causal relation between the variables. For each study, specify

(a) which relation (causal or correlation) you are testing.
(b) the independent and dependent variable.
(c) a brief outline of the procedure to be followed.
(d) the strengths and weaknesses of the design.