causal-inference

Vocabulary Word

Definition

Causal-inference is like finding the thread that ties two things together. It's a way of examining data to see if changes in one thing might 'cause' changes in another thing.

Examples in Different Contexts

For epidemiology, 'causal inference' is used to understand the causes of health outcomes. An epidemiologist might say, 'Causal inference allows us to establish the link between environmental factors and disease incidence.'

Practice Scenarios

Business

Scenario:

Our sales numbers have been soaring since we launched the new ad campaign. Is there a measurable correlation?

Response:

We can use causal inference to analyze sales data and ascertain if the increase is attributable to the new ad campaign.

Academics

Scenario:

The introduction of the new policy had coincided with a change in public sentiment. Can this behavioral shift be reliably credited to policy changes?

Response:

We need to dive deeper with causal inference to reliably determine if the policy change caused the behavioral shift.