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Criteria for Causality: Bradford Hill Criteria - II

Criteria for Causality: Bradford Hill Criteria - II

The Bradford Hill criteria serve as guidelines for establishing causative links in epidemiological research. Beyond Strength, Consistency, Specificity, and Temporality, key criteria also include Biological Gradient, Plausibility, Coherence, Experiment, and Analogy. These principles assist scientists in assessing the likelihood of causation in complex biological contexts. Below is a summary of these concepts:

Impact of Social Context on Individuals

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Social psychology examines how the real or imagined presence of others influences individuals' thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. A key concept in this field is the role of social context in shaping behavior. The same individual may act differently depending on the social setting, due to the varying expectations and norms associated with each environment. This context-dependent behavior illustrates the influence of social roles, which prescribe appropriate conduct in specific situations.Social...

Criteria for Causality: Bradford Hill Criteria - I

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The Bradford Hill criteria are a group of principles that provide a framework to determine a causal relationship between a specific factor and a disease. There are nine criteria that are pivotal in assessing causality in epidemiological studies. Here's a closer look at Strength, Consistency, Specificity, and Temporality criteria with definitions and examples:

Cause and Effect

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While variables are sometimes correlated because one does cause the other, it could also be that some other factor, a confounding variable, is actually causing the systematic movement in our variables of interest. For instance, as sales in ice cream increase, so does the overall rate of crime. Is it possible that indulging in your favorite flavor of ice cream could send you on a crime spree? Or, after committing crime do you think you might decide to treat yourself to a cone?

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Causality or causation is a fundamental concept in epidemiology, vital for understanding the relationships between various factors and health outcomes. Despite its importance, there's no single, universally accepted definition of causality within the discipline. Drawing from a systematic review, causality in epidemiology encompasses several definitions, including production, necessary and sufficient, sufficient-component, counterfactual, and probabilistic models. Each has its strengths and...

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Norms and customs: causally important or causally impotent?

¹University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Philosophy of the Social Sciences

|August 19, 2010

Summary

Social norms and customs are argued to not be actual causes of behavior. This challenges their role in social sciences, suggesting a need to redefine causal explanations in human actions.

Area of Science:

Social Sciences
Philosophy of Social Science
Causality in Social Behavior

Background:

Norms and customs are commonly cited as causes of behavior in social sciences.
The philosophical underpinnings of concepts like 'norms' are often overlooked.
Existing frameworks may rely on imprecise or problematic causal explanations.

Observation:

This article examines the concept of norms and customs as causal agents.
It questions whether 'norms' refer to philosophically sound properties.
The analysis extends to whether norms can exert causal influence, even if philosophically sound.

Findings:

Norms and customs, as commonly understood, cannot truly cause behavior.
Even if norms are considered valid properties, they lack causal efficacy.

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The concept of norms may refer to disjunctive properties, which are philosophically contentious.

Implications:

Social sciences should reconsider attributing causal power to norms and customs.
A re-evaluation of causal mechanisms in social behavior is necessary.
The findings suggest a need for more rigorous conceptualization of social phenomena.