Evaluating Causal Relationships Flashcards
6 cards from real Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Evaluating Causal Relationships flashcards as text
A newspaper headline reads: 'Coffee Drinkers Live Longer.' The supporting study controlled for smoking and exercise. What is still needed to establish causation?
Answer: A randomized controlled trial to rule out remaining confounders.
Observational studies, even when controlling for known confounders, cannot fully establish causation the way a randomized experiment can.
Two variables, X and Y, have a correlation of 0.90. A critical thinker should conclude:
Answer: X and Y are strongly related, but causation requires further evidence.
A high correlation indicates a strong association but does not identify which variable causes the other, if either does.
A pharmaceutical company reports that patients who adhered to their drug regimen recovered faster. A critic points out this is likely due to the 'healthy adherer effect.' What does this mean?
Answer: Patients who take medications as directed also follow other healthy behaviors that aid recovery.
Adherent patients tend to lead healthier lifestyles overall, confounding the drug's apparent effect.
During an economic recession, both unemployment and crime rates rise. A politician argues unemployment causes crime. What is the most precise critical thinking response?
Answer: Both may be caused by the recession itself, and the relationship between them may not be directly causal.
Economic downturns can simultaneously drive both metrics, making a direct unemployment-to-crime causal chain an oversimplification.
A school implements a reading program. Test scores improve. To best determine if the program caused the improvement, researchers should:
Answer: Compare results to a control group that did not receive the program.
Without a control group, it is impossible to rule out natural score improvements over time or other simultaneous changes.
Which of the following best represents a necessary condition for establishing a causal relationship between A and B?
Answer: A must precede B in time, they must be correlated, and alternative explanations must be ruled out.
The standard criteria for causation include temporal precedence, covariation, and elimination of competing explanations.