Death penalty example of Simpson's paradox. Data from Radelet (1981) Defendants Victims Death Penalty Percentage yes Race Race YES NO __________________________________________________________________ White White 19 132 12.6 Black 0 9 0.0 Black White 11 52 17.5 Black 6 97 5.8 __________________________________________________________________ Note. 1. If victim is white, blacks get death penalty more often (17.5 vs 12.6%) 2. If victim is black, blacks get death penalty more often (5.8 vs 0.0%) 3. Ignoring victims race, 19/160 white defendents got the death penalty, whereas 17/166 black defendants got the death penalty. Whit's got the death penalty more frequently than blacks. 4. Conclusion (among others) partial association is not the same as marginal association. 5. Practical conclusion, when someone presents you with results always ask if there were other important variables that were ommitted from the analysis. Their inclusion could change the conclusions.