Determining causality
Three conditions are necessary for determining causality: empirical association, appropriate time order, and nonporousness. In an experiment, ten people who had frequent headaches participated in a study. Five of the participants were given pain aides while the other five were given placebos. Results were recorded. Discuss whether causality was established by meeting the three conditions.
Sample Answer
Does the headache study meet the three conditions for causality?
Empirical association: Yes, the study found that the participants who were given pain aides experienced a reduction in headaches, while the participants who were given placebos did not.
Appropriate time order: Yes, the pain aides were administered before the participants recorded their headache results. This means that the pain aides could not have been caused by the headache results.