Cause and effect Flashcards
What is the important of causal relationships?
To prevent disease and improve treatment
How can causation be proven?
Determine associations that can help people to make informed decisions.
What is falsifiability?
The idea that a theory can’t be proven to be true but it can be proven to be false.
How can evidence be asssessed?
Based on chance, bias, confounding factors and cause.
What is chance?
Occurs due to random error.
What is bias?
Systematic error in collecting and presenting information by a researcher. Many study participants that are WEIRD (White, educated, industrial, rich and democratic) are overrepresented.
What is confounding?
That two factors are linked by a related third factor. Eg having white hair and more likely to have diabetes is linked to older age.
What is temporal association?
Effect must occur after the proposed cause, however it may be difficult to determine the genesis.
What is the importance of strength of the causal relationship?
To optimise best possible treatment and enable best possible treatment and diagnostic effect.
What is the Bradford Hill criteria for causation?
Measures:
-> Strength of association
-> Temporal association
-> Consistency
-> Theoretical plausability
-> Coherence
-> Specificity
-> Dose response relationship
-> Experimental evidence
-> Analogy
What is analogy?
If the observed association is similar to other associations, it increases the likelihood of the cause being correct.
What is experimental evidence?
Determining cause through carrying out observation in a controlled environment.
What is specificity in cause?
If there is a specific popultion at a specific site/state with no other likely explanation for the cause.
What is dose response relationship?
Greater dose should result in a greater effect.
What is ecological fallacy?
Making a conclusion about an individual based on the tendency observed in a group they are part of.
