There is evidence that higher consumption of foods containing chemicals called flavanols—including cocoa, red wine, green tea, and some fruits— increases brain function in several ways. Messerli (2012) asked whether chocolate consumption in a country is correlated with the number of Nobel Prizes for the country over all time. The data are below. Both chocolate consumption and number of Nobel Prizes are scaled to the number of people in each country.

a. Plot and examine these data. What challenges do you anticipate if your goal is to test whether chocolate consumption and number of Nobel Prizes are correlated? Describe any issue you identify.

b. Without transforming the data, test for an association between the two variables using an appropriate method.

c. Interpret the findings of the study appropriately. Does chocolate consumption increase the probability of winning a Nobel Prize? Should it be recommended as a national priority, based on these data?

Transcribed Image Text:

Country Australia Australia. Austria Austria BelgiumBelgium BrazilBrazil Canada Canada. China China Denmark Denmark Finland Finland France France Germany Germany Greece Greece Ireland Ireland Italy Italy Chocolate consumption (kg/person/year) 4.5 4.5 8.5 8.5 4.4 4.4 2.9 2.9 3.9 3.9 0.7 0.7 8.5 8.5 7.3 7.3 6.3 6.3 11.6 11.6 2.5 2.5 8.8 8.8 3.7 3.7 Nobel Prizes (per 100 million) 5.5 5.5 24.424.4 8.6 8.6 00 6 6 0 0 25.325.3 7.6 7.6 99 12.712.7 1.9 1.9 12.812.8 3.2 3.2