Frustrating Figures!

On the WordPress homepage I came across a post discussing “SAT Scores vs. Music you Listen to“.  I’m currently trying to track down the original creator (It was appear to be a Virgil Griffith).  What frustrates me most about this post is the lack of context.  The original poster is presenting this without any disclaimer stating “This does not show causation“.

The first thing people think when they see this is that “Listening to Beehtoven makes you smart and listening to Lil’ Wayne makes you dumb.”  This is absolutely false. We cannot say that a person who scores the highest on the SAT does not enjoy Lil Wayne.  There are infinite circumstances which can explain for the results.  For example, people who listen to Lil Wayne may not have resources such as SAT prep courses readily available.  Another being people who listen to Beehtoven force it upon themselves in hopes of stimulating their minds more.

Listening to a certain band or genre of music makes you neither intelligent nor idiotic. I am not contending against any possible benefit classical or other music has.  It’s simply music.  It can never replace studying or prep courses or practicing for the test.  Next when facts and figures come about be sure to question it.  Do not believe a correlation shows causation!

Tags: Music, SAT Scores and Music, Statistics, Virgil Griffith