Correlation Implies Causation

Also known as Ignoring the Common Cause

Often independent factors are used to imply that one action causes another. A famous example is this:

• Ice cream sales go up in the summer.
• Criminal activity goes up in the summer.
• Therefore, the consumption of ice cream is partly responsible for criminal behavior.
  (in truth, both actions are predicated by a different factor - increased temperatures)

In a Mafia game, this logical fallacy can be used to create an appearance of guilty behavior about someone else's actions. A common example is using someone's Lurking as evidence that they were avoiding lynching someone of their Faction, or that they were the cause of a missed Night Choice. Frequently, the two actions are instead simultaneous but factually unrelated.