5 Nomothetic (quantitative) Causal Criteria

Question 1

Covariation

Answer 1

There must be a relationship between the cause and the effect; as one changes, the other does too.

Question 2

Temporal Precedence

Answer 2

The cause must occur before the effect in time.

Question 3

Non-spuriousness

Answer 3

The relationship between the cause and effect should not be due to a third variable.

Question 4

Theoretical Justification

Answer 4

There should be a logical reason or theory explaining why the cause leads to the effect.

Question 5

Control of Extraneous Variables

Answer 5

Researchers should account for other variables that could influence the outcome to isolate the effect of the cause.