Which Comes First, Cause or Effect?
- Author(s):
- Holland, Paul W.
- Publication Year:
- 1986
- Report Number:
- RR-87-08
- Source:
- ETS Research Report
- Document Type:
- Report
- Page Count:
- 11
- Subject/Key Words:
- Experiments, Mathematical Models, Observational Studies, Path Analysis, Research Design, Rubin, Donald B., Statistics
Abstract
The problem of drawing causal inferences from retrospective, case-control, studies is considered. A model for causal inference in prospective studies is reviewed and then applied to retrospective studies. The limitations of case-control studies are formulated in terms of the level of causally relevant parameters that can be estimated in such studies. An example using data from a large retrospective study of coffee-drinking and myocardial infarctions is used to illustrate the ideas of the paper. (34pp.)
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- http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/j.2330-8516.1987.tb00212.x