causation
cause-and-effect relationship
the relationship where one thing makes another thing happen
causation between [something] and [something]; evidence of causation
- The study found a strong association, but it did not prove causation.
- Researchers are trying to establish causation between air pollution and the rise in asthma cases.
- In science, evidence of causation usually requires more than a simple pattern in the data.
- Causation means that one thing makes another thing happen.
- The graph shows a link, but it does not show causation.
process of causing something
the way something produces a result or condition
the causation of [a result/condition]; factors in the causation of [something]
- Smoking plays a major role in the causation of several serious diseases.
- The report examined workplace stress as a factor in the causation of burnout.
- Scientists still debate the exact mechanisms involved in the causation of the disorder.
- Doctors study the causation of disease.
- Stress can be a factor in the causation of illness.
legal link to harm
the legal question of whether someone's action caused the harm in a way that makes them responsible
causation in [a case/claim]; prove/establish causation
- The court found that causation had not been proved, so the claim failed.
- In a negligence case, the plaintiff must usually establish duty, breach, causation, and damage.
- The defendant admitted making a mistake but denied causation of the loss.
- The lawyer had to prove causation.
- Without causation, the defendant was not legally responsible for the injury.
- Base: causation
- Plural: causation, causations
break the chain of causation
1interrupt legal causal link
to stop an earlier action from being legally treated as the cause of what happened later
- The defense argued that the victim's own decision broke the chain of causation.
- An unforeseeable medical error may, in rare cases, break the chain of causation.
- The judge held that the storm did not break the chain of causation between the negligence and the damage.
but-for causation
1necessary-cause legal test
the legal test asking, “Would this harm have happened without that action?”
- The plaintiff established but-for causation by showing that the injury would not have occurred without the faulty repair.
- But-for causation can be difficult to prove when several factors contributed to the harm.
- The court applied the but-for causation test to the doctor's failure to diagnose the illness.
chain of causation
1sequence of causal events
a series of events where one event causes the next
- Investigators traced the chain of causation from the software error to the system failure.
- The accident resulted from a long chain of causation involving poor maintenance and bad weather.
- The court considered whether the victim's later actions formed part of the same chain of causation.
correlation does not imply causation
1warning not to confuse cause and link
Even if two things happen together or change together, this does not prove that one thing causes the other.
- The professor reminded the class that correlation does not imply causation when they tried to explain the results.
- Journalists should remember that correlation does not imply causation before claiming that one behavior causes another.
correlation does not imply causation
1association is not proof
just because two things happen together does not mean one caused the other
- Ice cream sales and sunburns both rise in summer, but correlation does not imply causation.
- The article was careful to note that correlation does not imply causation.
- Higher screen time was linked with poor sleep, but correlation does not imply causation.
reverse causation
1effect causes supposed cause
when A seems to cause B, but B may actually cause A
- The study tried to rule out reverse causation by measuring exercise habits before illness developed.
- Low income may lead to poor health, but reverse causation is also possible if poor health reduces income.
- Researchers used long-term data to test for reverse causation.