Causal Inference

Question 1

Define: dependent variable

Answer 1

the affected variable, the outcome of some process, ex. divorce rate

Question 2

Define: independent variable

Answer 2

affects the dependent variable(s), ex. gender, race, income

Question 3

Define: variables

Answer 3

factors that characterize people, have different values, seen as important to why people do the things they do and are the way they are

Question 4

Define/explain: intervening, mediator, and mediating variables

Answer 4

variables that are affected by an independent variable in a way that affects the dependent variable’s outcome, ex. divorce rate (D) is affected by low income (I), because as income goes down stress (mediating) goes up, in all cases of stress (ex. death, low income, illness) divorce is higher

Question 5

Define/explain: control, moderator, and moderating variables

Answer 5

a variable that changes the relationship between dependent and independent variable, can also change how mediating variables affect dependent variables

Question 6

Define: positive/negative causal relationship between variables

Answer 6

as one goes up, the other goes up, and vice versa

Question 7

Define: inverse causal relationship between variables

Answer 7

as one rises, the other goes down

Question 8

Define: correlation

Answer 8

there exist an association between two variables that is not causal, one is not causing the other

Question 9

Define: spurious effects

Answer 9

where a 3rd variable is affecting both independent and dependent variables and they have no direct relationship

Question 10

What are 3 characteristics of a causal relationship?

Answer 10

1. temporal precedence
2. constant conjunction
3. nonspuriousness

Question 11

Define: temporal precedence

Answer 11

the independent variable is causing the effect in the dependent variable

Question 12

Define: constant conjunction

Answer 12

causality should be seen consistently, across time/studies/populations

Question 13

Define: nonspuriousness

Answer 13

the association between the two variables can’t be spurious

Question 14

Define: causal mechanism

Answer 14

the reasons that the independent variable affects the dependent, a process, they link/create a pathway/model between the two variables

Question 15

Define: hypothesis

Answer 15

specific expectations of relationships between variables, assumed to be trends not universality because group trends don’t determine individual outcomes

Question 16

What are the two types of hypotheses?

Answer 16

1. Directional; includes an assumption about increasing/decreasing
2. Non-Directional; you know there is a relationship between variables but you don’t know which way it goes

Question 17

Which types of research are better and worse at determining causality?

Answer 17

Better: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal (bigger samples, lots of key variables)
Worse: Qualitative (smaller samples, fewer variables)