Causal Inference, Bias and Confounding

These flashcards contain key vocabulary and definitions related to causal inference, bias, and confounding in epidemiological studies.

The process of drawing conclusions about the cause of disease based on evidence.

Causal Inference

The principle that a cause must precede its effect in time.

Temporality

A situation where a relationship between exposure and disease is observed consistently across multiple studies.

Consistency

The concept that a stronger relationship between exposure and disease suggests a greater likelihood of causality.

Strength of Association

Evidence from biology indicating a causal relationship between an exposure and a disease.

Biological Coherence

A systematic error that influences or prejudices the data.

Bias

A situation where a third factor distorts the relationship between the studied cause and effect.

Confounding

A method to reduce confounding by selecting controls with similar characteristics as the cases.

Matching

The process of creating subsets in case and control groups to separate confounding effects.

Stratification

A process to ensure samples are randomly selected to minimize bias.

Randomization