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Statistics vocabulary · Regression and Correlation

Causation

Meaning in statistics, with examples

/kɔːˈzeɪʃən/nounCore term

In statistics, causation means: A relationship in which a change in one variable directly produces a change in another, as opposed to the two simply moving together.

In Turkish: nedensellik, neden-sonuç ilişkisi

How it is used

Most often heard in the phrase 'correlation does not imply causation'. Establishing causation normally needs a randomised experiment or careful causal-inference methods. Related words: cause, causal effect, causal relationship, causality.

Example sentences

  1. This is an observational study, so we can't claim causation.

  2. The headline confused correlation with causation.

Common collocations

  • imply causation
  • establish causation
  • correlation versus causation
  • reverse causation
  • correlationA relationship between two variables in which they tend to change together, either in the same direction (positive) or in opposite directions (negative).
  • confounding variableA third variable that is related to both the independent and the dependent variable and can create a false or distorted impression of the relationship between them.
  • random assignmentPlacing participants into the groups of an experiment by chance, for example with computer-generated random numbers, so that the groups are similar at the start.
  • control groupThe group in an experiment that does not receive the treatment being tested, or receives a placebo or the usual treatment, so that it can be compared with the treatment group.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Regression and Correlation

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