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.

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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.

Full Answer Section

Nonporousness: This is the most difficult condition to assess in this study. Nonporousness means that there are no other factors that could have caused the reduction in headaches in the group that received pain aides. It is possible that there were other factors at play, such as the participants’ expectations of the study or the fact that they were receiving attention from the researchers.

Overall, the study provides some evidence of a causal relationship between pain aides and reduced headaches. However, it is difficult to say definitively whether causality has been established because of the possibility of other confounding factors.

Here are some additional thoughts on the study:

  • The study is relatively small, with only 10 participants. This means that the results may not be generalizable to the larger population.
  • The study did not control for all potential confounding factors. For example, it is possible that the participants who were given pain aides were also more likely to make other lifestyle changes that could have reduced their headaches, such as getting more sleep or exercising more.
  • The study did not use a double-blind design. This means that the participants and the researchers knew who was receiving pain aides and who was receiving placebos. This could have biased the results of the study.

Despite its limitations, the study provides some evidence that pain aides can be effective in reducing headaches. More research is needed to confirm these findings and to rule out the possibility of confounding factors.

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