Northcott, Robert (2004) Pearson's wrong turning: against statistical measures of causal efficacy. In: [2004] Philosophy of Science Assoc. 19th Biennial Meeting - PSA2004: Contributed Papers (Austin, TX; 2004) > PSA 2004 Contributed Papers. (In Press)

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Abstract

Standard statistical measures of strength of association, although pioneered by Pearson deliberately to be acausal, nowadays are routinely used to measure causal efficacy. But their acausal origins have left them ill suited to this latter purpose. I distinguish between two different conceptions of causal efficacy, and argue that: 1) Both conceptions can be useful 2) The statistical measures only attempt to capture the first of them 3) They are not fully successful even at this 4) An alternative definition more squarely based on causal thinking not only captures the second conception, it can also capture the first one better too.

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• Pearson's wrong turning: against statistical measures of causal efficacy. (deposited 18 Aug 2004)[Currently Displayed]
  • Pearson's wrong turning: against statistical measures of causal efficacy. (deposited 16 Nov 2004)

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