causal
relating to cause and effect
showing that one thing makes another thing happen
causal [link/connection/relationship/effect]
- The study found a strong association, but not necessarily a causal relationship.
- Researchers are trying to prove a causal link between air pollution and childhood asthma.
- A causal explanation must show how one event led to the other.
- The graph shows a causal link between the two changes.
- The study did not prove a causal relationship.
producing a particular result
helping to make something happen
a causal [factor/agent/role] in [something]
- Smoking is a causal factor in many cases of lung cancer.
- Investigators could not identify a single causal agent for the outbreak.
- Lack of sleep may play a causal role in poor concentration.
- Stress can be a causal factor in headaches.
- The report looked for a causal factor.
expressing a reason
used in grammar to describe words or clauses that give a reason
causal [clause/conjunction/connective]
- In the sentence I stayed home because I was sick, the because-clause has a causal meaning.
- Some grammar books describe because as a causal conjunction.
- Students learned to identify causal connectives such as because, since, and therefore.
- Because introduces a causal clause.
- A causal phrase gives a reason.
- Base: causal
causal agent
1thing that causes disease
the thing, often a germ or chemical, that causes a disease or problem
- The causal agent of malaria is a parasite transmitted by mosquitoes.
- Lab tests identified a bacterium as the causal agent of the outbreak.
- Investigators searched for the causal agent responsible for the crop disease.
causal chain
1sequence of linked causes
a series of events where one event leads to the next
- A small software bug started a causal chain that ended in a systemwide outage.
- The historian traced the causal chain from the policy change to the protests.
- Breaking one link in the causal chain could prevent the problem from spreading.
causal effect
1actual produced effect
the change that one thing really causes in another thing
- The trial was designed to estimate the causal effect of the new drug on recovery time.
- A simple correlation cannot tell us the causal effect of exercise on mood.
- Researchers compared similar groups to isolate the causal effect of the policy.
causal factor
1contributing cause of an outcome
one thing that helps make something happen
- Poor drainage was a causal factor in the flooding.
- Genetics can be one causal factor in some diseases.
- The review found that driver fatigue was a major causal factor in the crash.
causal inference
1data-based cause analysis
using evidence and methods to decide whether one thing really causes another
- Causal inference helps analysts decide whether an ad campaign actually increased sales.
- The course covers randomized trials, natural experiments, and other tools for causal inference.
- Good causal inference requires careful attention to confounding variables.
causal link
1cause-and-effect connection
a connection where one thing makes another thing happen
- The report claimed a causal link between poor housing and health problems.
- The data show a pattern, but they do not prove a causal link.
- Scientists are investigating a possible causal link between the chemical and liver damage.
causal mechanism
1process producing an effect
how exactly a cause makes an effect happen
- Scientists still do not fully understand the causal mechanism behind the disease.
- The paper proposes a causal mechanism linking sleep loss to weight gain.
- Identifying the causal mechanism can help doctors choose better treatments.