An officer is analyzing crime data for a specific patrol beat. The data shows that as the number of streetlights reported as broken increases, the number of reported robberies in that same area also tends to increase. The officer concludes that a third variable, such as municipal neglect or decreased pedestrian traffic in dark areas, is likely influencing both factors. This conclusion demonstrates an understanding of what analytical concept?
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A
That the data is inconclusive and should be discarded.
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B
That there is a direct causal link between broken lights and robberies.
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C
That the relationship is a correlation, likely influenced by a confounding variable.
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D
That robberies are the cause of the broken streetlights.