Overview
Causation indicates that one event is the result of the occurrence of the other event. Proving causation is much more difficult than proving correlation and typically requires controlled experiments (like A/B testing) or rigorous causal inference methods.
Criteria for Causation
- Temporal Precedence: The cause must happen before the effect.
- Covariation: The cause and effect must be correlated.
- Non-spuriousness: No other variable can explain the relationship.
Causal Inference
The process of drawing a conclusion about a causal connection based on the conditions of the occurrence of an effect.