Causal Relationships

Studying causal relationships is a big part of observation. For instance, when studying how an animal grows up, a researcher will study what causes it to hunt certain types of food, what causes it to rest and hibernate, what causes it to mate, and so on. Causal relationships also play a huge part in argumentation, because the causes of observations are often debatable.

Get started

Millions of flashcards designed to help you ace your studies

Sign up for free
  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

In terms of an essay, causal relationships can be used as evidence in your _____ to prove your _____.

Show Answer
  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

In argumentation, a causal relationship is the manner in which a cause _____ effect.

Show Answer
  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

A cause is the reason that _____.

Show Answer
  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

An effect is _____.

Show Answer
  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

If a viral infection leads to not going to school AND abdominal pain.What kind of causal relationship is this?

Show Answer
  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

Hot weather and avoiding a high energy bill lead to an uncomfortably hot home.What kind of causal relationship is this?

Show Answer
  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

Seeing a drummer leads to wanting to be a drummer, which leads to buying a drum kit.What kind of causal relationship is this?

Show Answer
  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

Watering your plants leads to plants absorbing water, which leads to dry soil, which leads to you watering your plants.What kind of causal relationship is this?

Show Answer
  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

Meditation leads to reduced stress, which leads to better sleep.What kind of causal relationship is this?

Show Answer
  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

Meditation causes reduced stress, easier relaxation, and greater mindfulness.What kind of causal relationship is this?

Show Answer
  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

Meditation leads to experiencing the benefits, which leads to more meditation.What kind of causal relationship is this?

Show Answer
  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

In terms of an essay, causal relationships can be used as evidence in your _____ to prove your _____.

Show Answer
  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

In argumentation, a causal relationship is the manner in which a cause _____ effect.

Show Answer
  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

A cause is the reason that _____.

Show Answer
  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

An effect is _____.

Show Answer
  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

If a viral infection leads to not going to school AND abdominal pain.What kind of causal relationship is this?

Show Answer
  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

Hot weather and avoiding a high energy bill lead to an uncomfortably hot home.What kind of causal relationship is this?

Show Answer
  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

Seeing a drummer leads to wanting to be a drummer, which leads to buying a drum kit.What kind of causal relationship is this?

Show Answer
  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

Watering your plants leads to plants absorbing water, which leads to dry soil, which leads to you watering your plants.What kind of causal relationship is this?

Show Answer
  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

Meditation leads to reduced stress, which leads to better sleep.What kind of causal relationship is this?

Show Answer
  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

Meditation causes reduced stress, easier relaxation, and greater mindfulness.What kind of causal relationship is this?

Show Answer
  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

Meditation leads to experiencing the benefits, which leads to more meditation.What kind of causal relationship is this?

Show Answer

Review generated flashcards

Sign up for free
You have reached the daily AI limit

Start learning or create your own AI flashcards

StudySmarter Editorial Team

Team Causal Relationships Teachers

  • 8 minutes reading time
  • Checked by StudySmarter Editorial Team
Save Article Save Article
Contents
Contents
Table of contents

    Jump to a key chapter

      Causal Relationship Meaning

      A causal relationship is a cause-and-effect relationship where one event or variable directly results in the occurrence of another event or change in another variable. In other words, it's a connection between two things where one is the result of the other. It's important to note that correlation does not imply causation, meaning that just because two things occur together, it doesn't mean that one caused the other. Causal relationships are often studied in various fields, including sociology, psychology, physics, biology, economics, and more, to understand the dynamics of different phenomena.

      Causal relationships have two basic features: a cause and an effect.

      A cause is the reason that something happens.

      An effect is something happening.

      You might notice how tightly linked these two ideas are. Without the other, neither could be observed. Here’s an example. Your finger causes a ball to roll. Without your finger, the ball does not roll. At the same time, without the ball rolling, you did not cause anything with your finger.

      Causal Relationship ball example StudySmarterFig. 1 - Causal relationships often show cause and effect.

      Although cause and effect are interdependent, we often look at causation in terms of a line. This is helpful for exploring causal relationships in terms of argumentation.

      In argumentation, a causal relationship is the manner in which a cause leads to its effect.

      In the body of your essay, you can use causal relationships as evidence to prove your thesis.

      Causal Relationship Synonyms

      A causal relationship is a relationship of cause and effect.

      A line of reasoning uses causal relationships to draw a conclusion.

      By exploring causal relationships, you can study the difference between fact and opinion.

      Examples of Causal Relationships

      Here are a few examples of the cause-and-effect connections between two or more variables or events:

      1. Health: Regular exercise leads to an improvement in physical health. Here, regular exercise is the cause and improved physical health is the effect.

      2. Education: Increased study hours often lead to improved academic performance. In this case, increased study hours is the cause and improved academic performance is the effect.

      3. Economics: A rise in consumer confidence often leads to an increase in spending in the economy. Here, the rise in consumer confidence is the cause and the increase in spending is the effect.

      4. Environment: Excessive carbon emissions lead to global warming. Excessive carbon emissions are the cause and global warming is the effect.

      Types of Causal Relationships

      The four types of causal relationships are causal chains, causal homeostasis, common-cause relationships, and common-effect realtionships.

      Causal Chains

      These are simple A ➜ B ➜ C relationships.

      A causal chain relationship is when one thing leads to another thing, which leads to another thing, and so on.

      For example, let’s say that someone is depressed. For them, depression leads to a lack of motivation, which leads to not getting work done.

      A causal chain is just one way of looking at this situation. The situation can also be represented in other ways.

      Causal Homeostasis

      These are cycles. A ➜ B ➜ C ➜ A.

      Causal homeostasis is when something supports its own proliferation.

      Let’s return to the depressed person. For them, depression leads to a lack of motivation, which leads to not getting work done, which leads to more depression.

      Depending on your focus, you can frame causal relationships in different ways. If you are trying to describe the slippery slope of depression, you can frame it in terms of a chain: how it gets worse and worse and leads to increasingly dire outcomes. However, in order to describe the spiral of depression, you can frame it in terms of causal homeostasis: how depression leads to worsening depression.

      Common-Cause Relationships

      These are A ➜ B and C relationships.

      A common-cause relationship is when one thing leads to multiple things.

      Take again the person suffering from depression. You could frame their depression using the common-cause relationship as well. In this model, depression leads to a lack of motivation AND a lack of appetite.

      This relationship is excellent at describing the symptoms of a cause.

      Causal Relationship symptom example StudySmarter

      Fig. 2 - Symptoms show a common-cause relationship.

      Common-Effect Relationships

      These are A and B ➜ C relationships.

      A common-effect relationship is when multiple things lead to one thing.

      For example, losing a job AND breaking up with someone might lead to depression.

      This relationship is great at identifying the many reasons why something happens.

      Causal Relationships in Your Essay

      When exploring causal relationships in your essay, don’t try to define absolute relationships. As you can see from the examples explored above, you can approach a topic (e.g. depression) in many ways using many models. Instead, use the model of causal relationship that best suits your argument.

      If this doesn’t quite make sense yet, that’s okay. It will.

      Start with your thesis. Say that this is your thesis:

      Gabriel García Márquez uses surrealist elements in a way that illuminates personal and uniquely Colombian insecurities about the past and the future. That said, Márquez breaks the boundaries of language and culture because his unique stories are like fairytales—uncomfortable fantasies that strike a chord at the level of the uncanny, where "who and where" matters far less than "how it feels."

      Alright, great. Now let’s say that you want to find evidence to support the underlined portion of this thesis. You’ll need evidence for the whole thesis, of course, but first, narrow it down to the underlined portion for this example.

      What kind of relationship would help support this conclusion?

      Start with the evidence needed to arrive at the conclusion.

      This part of the thesis requires specific examples from Márquez’s work that are emblematic of the fairytale genre. To satisfy this, it would be great to find single passages that hit all the bullet points of our thesis' definition of a fairytale. Which one of the causal relationship models would be useful here?

      It sounds like the common-cause model would be useful. Here’s how that would work.

      Passage 1 is uncanny AND passage 1 has a moody atmosphere AND passage 1 has an unclear setting and time period. This leads us to the conclusion that Passage 1 is like a fairytale.

      Multiple aspects of passage 1 cause it to be emblematic of the fairytale genre.

      From there, you could use the model again to support your thesis more completely.

      Passage 1 is like a fairytale AND passage 2 is like a fairytale AND passage 3 is like a fairytale. This leads us to the conclusion that the work as a whole is like a fairytale.

      Multiple passages in a book make the book emblematic of a fairytale.

      This is just one way to approach this thesis. When using causal relationships to support your own thesis, be creative. Use as many causal relationships as are applicable, and explore them from different angles. Think of it like building a web. The tighter your ideas link together from end to end and side to side, the harder your conclusions will be to counter. Fifty links are stronger than one!

      Causal Relationships - Key Takeaways

      • In argumentation, a causal relationship is the manner in which a cause leads to its effect.
      • A causal chain relationship is when one thing leads to another thing, which leads another thing, and so on.
      • Causal homeostasis is when something supports its own proliferation.
      • A common-cause relationship is when one thing leads to multiple things.
      • A common-effect relationship is when multiple things lead to one thing.
      Frequently Asked Questions about Causal Relationships

      What is a causal relationship?

      In argumentation, a causal relationship is the manner in which a cause leads to its effect.

      What is a causal relationship in writing?

      In argumentation, a causal relationship is the manner in which a cause leads to its effect.

      What is an example of a causal relationship?

      Depression leads to a lack of motivation, which leads to not getting work done. This is also an example of a causal chain.

      What are the four types of causal relationships?

      Causal chains, causal homeostasis, common-cause relationships, and common-effect relationships.

      Is causal relationship a type of rhetorical mode?

      Causal relationships are rhetorical models, yes. 

      Save Article

      Test your knowledge with multiple choice flashcards

      In terms of an essay, causal relationships can be used as evidence in your _____ to prove your _____.

      In argumentation, a causal relationship is the manner in which a cause _____ effect.

      A cause is the reason that _____.

      Next

      Discover learning materials with the free StudySmarter app

      Sign up for free
      1
      About StudySmarter

      StudySmarter is a globally recognized educational technology company, offering a holistic learning platform designed for students of all ages and educational levels. Our platform provides learning support for a wide range of subjects, including STEM, Social Sciences, and Languages and also helps students to successfully master various tests and exams worldwide, such as GCSE, A Level, SAT, ACT, Abitur, and more. We offer an extensive library of learning materials, including interactive flashcards, comprehensive textbook solutions, and detailed explanations. The cutting-edge technology and tools we provide help students create their own learning materials. StudySmarter’s content is not only expert-verified but also regularly updated to ensure accuracy and relevance.

      Learn more
      StudySmarter Editorial Team

      Team English Teachers

      • 8 minutes reading time
      • Checked by StudySmarter Editorial Team
      Save Explanation Save Explanation

      Study anywhere. Anytime.Across all devices.

      Sign-up for free

      Sign up to highlight and take notes. It’s 100% free.

      Join over 22 million students in learning with our StudySmarter App

      The first learning app that truly has everything you need to ace your exams in one place

      • Flashcards & Quizzes
      • AI Study Assistant
      • Study Planner
      • Mock-Exams
      • Smart Note-Taking
      Join over 22 million students in learning with our StudySmarter App
      Sign up with Email