Which of the following are requirements for identifying a causal effect?
A) Association, time order, and nonspuriousness
B) Time order, nonspuriousness, and mechanism
C) Nonspuriousness, mechanism, and context
D) Association, mechanism, and context
E) Context, time order, and association

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To identify a causal effect, three requirements must be met: (1) association between the two variables, (2) time order (the cause must come before the effect), and (3) nonspuriousness (meaning that the association is not due to a third variable). Option A includes all three of these requirements. Option B includes two of the requirements, but does not mention association. Option C includes nonspuriousness and mechanism but adds context instead of time order. Option D includes association and mechanism but adds context instead of time order. Option E includes association and time order but adds context instead of nonspuriousness.

Which of the Following Are Requirements for Identifying a Causal