The danger of mixing up causality and correlation: Ionica Smeets at TEDxDelft

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  • Опубликовано: 26 дек 2024

Комментарии • 138

  • @joylokhande5471
    @joylokhande5471 4 года назад +74

    The way she is presenting this stuff is so adorable and amazing.

    • @jakevancecastaneda3748
      @jakevancecastaneda3748 4 года назад +2

      Simp lol

    • @bryandenis2549
      @bryandenis2549 3 года назад +5

      @@jakevancecastaneda3748 How in any way shape or form is this simping, wow, someone commented positively on the actions of a female, automatic simp, honestly, this generation's common sense is broken, and I know bc I used to think like that, but a classmate of mine made a similar reaction, and the rest of the class was spent talking about what defines a simp bc as it happens, my teacher was female, so we all learned.

    • @manbiteslife3110
      @manbiteslife3110 2 года назад +1

      @@bryandenis2549 relax warrior

  • @dbmail545
    @dbmail545 3 года назад +19

    Such a concise presentation of a very subtle concept. "Correlation is not causation" but that is not how our brains, which evolved as pattern recognition machines work.

    • @jsmariani4180
      @jsmariani4180 3 года назад +4

      A 4 year old heard a very loud scary bang at the exact moment a rabbit appeared. He had an irrational fear of rabbits the rest of his life.

  • @sf99939
    @sf99939 4 года назад +70

    This was great, full of humor but well explained.

  • @mshigatiramadhani9046
    @mshigatiramadhani9046 3 года назад +9

    Very amazing the way she presents but also highlights the importance of the relationship of causality and correlation. Not every time to conclude on that

  • @budgerigar42
    @budgerigar42 10 лет назад +52

    Her shirt is so adorable, aw.

  • @MsVamsikrishna
    @MsVamsikrishna 3 года назад +8

    it's because of you i understood the difference corelation and casual .thank u very much

  • @FunDreya
    @FunDreya 5 лет назад +69

    Such a lovely presenter and delivery of an otherwise (when stripped down to its bones) boring and dry topic =))

  • @jacksocks6946
    @jacksocks6946 4 года назад +120

    Clearly people need to stop eating ice cream while they're swimming.

    • @gjhardy
      @gjhardy 3 года назад +3

      Some people still don’t get the message, don’t they.
      Clue, it’s the Sun, not the ice cream and not the swimming.

    • @아르빠노-e7t
      @아르빠노-e7t 2 года назад +3

      @@gjhardy Well, I think you're the one who misunderstood, bro.

    • @crystalhayward7058
      @crystalhayward7058 Год назад +1

      Luckily I’m lactose intolerant 😅

  • @ThomasBlekman
    @ThomasBlekman 12 лет назад +13

    Great talk.
    Thanks to correlation we have been teaching entrepreneurship all wrong for years.
    We seem to think it is a linear planning process were in fact it is an organic process of discovery. Now thanks to Saras Sarasvathy and Nobel price winner Herbert Simon we know better... Effectuation describes how expert entrepreneurs think decide and act.

  • @zachzwags4428
    @zachzwags4428 3 года назад +19

    We need to ban the weather to stop drowning

  • @jorestadoum1354
    @jorestadoum1354 25 дней назад

    Waouh!!! J'ai entendu parlé de ces notions dans mon cours "d'introduction à l'économétrie " mais je les mélangeais toujours. Avec cette vidéo dès le premier exemple j'ai très vite compris la différence.

  • @danielroy1966
    @danielroy1966 10 лет назад +56

    I love eating tomatoes, but I have read that people who were born in 1860 and ate tomatoes during their lifetimes have a mortality rate of 100 per cent. :-O Are you sure there's no causality? ;-)

    • @Brammor
      @Brammor 10 лет назад +5

      Thanks, I never knew that! Glad i wasn't born in that period of time :)

    • @lambd01d
      @lambd01d 9 лет назад +6

      Tomatoes were clearly far more toxic then.

    • @kt4580
      @kt4580 9 лет назад +2

      Daniel Roy If this is the claim, I believe the main point is missed here. She is saying that even if you see there is direct correlation, you still have to prove "why it is happening?" and "how it is happening?" to show causality (basically cause and effect relationship) which is the essence of understanding the underlying principles of a mechanism (can be a sociological, biological, dynamic, socioeconomic, .....etc.). In other words you have to prove it.

    • @danielroy1966
      @danielroy1966 9 лет назад +2

      Yeah, I know. I just meant to underline what she said.

    • @oneofakind8134
      @oneofakind8134 5 лет назад +1

      Of course we can always research causality but that is not the purpose of correlational research. It is two variables that rise together, fall together, or have no relationship at all. There is a positive correlation between baby boomers and hepatitis but that does not mean that being a baby boomer will cause you to have hepatitis or the having hepatitis means you are a baby boomer. It is only a relationship. Sure there is a cause of each, but that is a different type of research. Mortality rate of those that were born in 1860's and ate tomatoes, is only a relationship. You can not say, confidently, that because any one born in 1860 and ate tomatoes, will have a high mortality rate. Again relationship, not cause.

  • @Tom-sp3gy
    @Tom-sp3gy 2 месяца назад

    Fantastic talk! Absolutely beautifully presented! Kudos!

  • @loregomezz
    @loregomezz 2 года назад +2

    very easy to understand this better and grab my attention completely with the way she presented this :)

  • @00Gonzales00
    @00Gonzales00 10 лет назад +138

    I'll never eat ice cream again

    • @zurichsee706
      @zurichsee706 7 лет назад +1

      have mine too, you fatty :-D

    • @wouttengrootenhuysen5137
      @wouttengrootenhuysen5137 6 лет назад +1

      Haha, just to be on the safe side !

    • @mikitz
      @mikitz 6 лет назад +2

      The correct conclusion is this: warm weather decreases one's ability to swim.

  • @wiskundemeisje
    @wiskundemeisje 12 лет назад +4

    I read a study where they tested self-esteem in third and sixth grade. High self-esteem in third grade was not a predictor for good grades in sixth grade. But good grades in third grade predicted higher self-esteem in sixth grade. So from this it seemed fair to conclude that good grades cause self-esteem and not the other way around.

  • @vigneshsivashankar156
    @vigneshsivashankar156 3 года назад +8

    There is actually proof of bright or even dim light interfering with the circadian rhythm or sleep cycle.

  • @lambd01d
    @lambd01d 9 лет назад +22

    I was hoping she would go into what actually constitutes causality. I'm sure we're all aware of badly-written newspaper articles claiming causality for research that only shows correlation, but what would actually prove causality?

    • @osmanlioglu
      @osmanlioglu 9 лет назад +3

      lambd01d I think, nothing can prove causality of apparent causes. No basis other than mere intuition. On the contrary, we can think of "evidences" which disprove causality. A centuries long discussion though!!!

    • @DavidSkis
      @DavidSkis 9 лет назад +3

      Yusuf Osmanlioglu Actually, you demonstrate causality through well-crafted experiments based on theory. You can learn more about demonstrating causality by taking some courses on research methods.

    • @shananagans5
      @shananagans5 9 лет назад +18

      lambd01d To illustrate causality you have to isolate & test the variables independently., In other words you keep everything the same except for what you are testing.
      Examples;
      If you want to see if a plant food works you need a group of plants that get the plant food & a group that doesn't and you need to keep all other variables the same. They need to be in the same soil, they need to get the same amount of light & water. Both groups need to be treated exactly the same in every way except for the plant food. Then, if the group that gets the plant food grows better you have shown causation.
      With things like the ice cream sales & drownings it gets a bit more complex.
      If you wanted to illustrate ice cream causing drownings in city A you would have to look at the base rate of drownings for a year & then ban ice cream sales & see if there are fewer drownings.
      What you are essentially doing is comparing city A (with ice cream)
      to city A (without ice cream)
      We are trying to keep all other variables the same as much as possible.
      Obviously, with an entire city or a country there are other factors that you just can't control. What if there was a cold snap in the weather? What if they hired more lifeguards? Those things could reduce drownings & possibly prompt an incorrect conclusion.
      That's why we may study the same thing several times.
      "Prove" Is a very strong word & we could debate if anything was ever proven but, if you control for variables properly, you can offer strong evidence for things.

    • @RosatoTomato
      @RosatoTomato 8 лет назад +5

      Bradford Hill criteria for causation:
      1. Strength of Association - the magnitude of the association.
      2. Consistency - relationship can be demonstrated on many occasions and in different
      situations (e.g. countries, times).
      3. Specificity - a 1-to-1 relationship between cause and effect; a factor leads to one
      disease, or disease is due to one factor. Must be acknowledged, however, that
      most exposures have multiple effects and some diseases have multiple causes.
      4. Appropriate time relationships (TEMPORALITY) - a proposed cause MUST precede an effect (exposure
      before outcome), and the latent period between the earliest exposure and manifestation
      should be appropriate.
      5. Biological gradient (DOSE RESPONSE) - causality is further enhanced if the risk of disease
      increases as the dose of exposure increases. The absence of a dose-response
      relationship is often taken as evidence against causality; however, the
      presence of a dose response relationship may be caused by confounding.
      6. Biological plausibility - existence of a physiological mechanism by which a
      proposed cause exerts its effect.
      7. Experiment - natural experiments occur or semi-experimental evidence is available e.g.
      Nuclear plant exposes workers to radiation.
      8. Analogy - if similar
      situations or findings are present regarding related chemicals, then the case
      for causation is much stronger.
      9. Coherence of the evidence - summary of all other criteria for causation and its
      integration into a view as to whether a true association exists and, if so, its
      magnitude and what should be done about it. Final decision is always an
      informed judgement.

    • @ofernandofilo
      @ofernandofilo 7 лет назад +1

      IF !A THEN !B. This is Causality.
      So if happen A without B, or if happen B without A, then, there is no causality, just correlation. But in the Universe nothing seems to be so pure. And then we need to try to isolate the variables. We start to look less to 0% and 100% and start to look more in between. The earlier comment looks like a pretty good start.
      Now you know the definition. But the way is eternal! Good luck!

  • @RealtorAustin
    @RealtorAustin 12 лет назад +8

    It's funny as I see the causality vs. correlation mistake in some TEDTalks - there's one I recall about food sensitivities by Robyn O'Brien which shows a few parallel plots and jumps to conclusions.

  • @iam_87
    @iam_87 6 лет назад +2

    Prof. Saeb's class sent me here.

  • @larabbitatouille2173
    @larabbitatouille2173 2 года назад

    Thank you very much, I didn't know I needed this for my thesis. Thank you once again.

  • @iamtenderhearted5192
    @iamtenderhearted5192 Год назад

    Can anyone tell me what this song is at the beginning of this video?

  • @kewitothemax
    @kewitothemax 11 месяцев назад

    very insightful talk

  • @PaolaSanchez-hc5my
    @PaolaSanchez-hc5my 3 года назад +1

    Loved! Thank you!

  • @LA-jo3yy
    @LA-jo3yy 2 года назад +1

    excellent explanation

  • @aww_yeah
    @aww_yeah 4 года назад +1

    This topic is very important 👍🏻

  • @joseberengueres8835
    @joseberengueres8835 5 лет назад +4

    Excellent!

  • @hckoenig
    @hckoenig Год назад

    I would like to know how Ionica Smeets defines "causality" if not by correlation.

  • @daleputnam8300
    @daleputnam8300 2 года назад

    Thank you

  • @abhijithrambo
    @abhijithrambo 5 лет назад +1

    Very interesting talk!

  • @R4PTORZWIN
    @R4PTORZWIN 8 лет назад +7

    Great examples of how correlation does not mean causation.

    • @rs72098
      @rs72098 2 года назад +1

      Well many times it does, but not ALL the time. It's interesting because Tedx will always use a disproven correlation/causation argument when it comes to legalizing drugs, or pushing the evolution theory.

  • @laxmanbisht2638
    @laxmanbisht2638 5 лет назад +2

    BAM!!! Thank you!

  • @tariqal-busaidi4836
    @tariqal-busaidi4836 4 года назад +1

    Correlation and cause and relation are two different things...

  • @surajahire744
    @surajahire744 5 лет назад +3

    Elaboration 💯

  • @conner1872
    @conner1872 4 года назад +1

    she is great

  • @bamboopanda1626
    @bamboopanda1626 2 года назад

    I had exceptional grades in high school but it does not reflect my self confidence.

  • @adriannedeleon7635
    @adriannedeleon7635 5 лет назад +2

    Her tone inflection was a little difficult but because I could rewind I got all the important points. Good presentation, but she must have been nervous :)

  • @EverythingPsalmari
    @EverythingPsalmari 11 месяцев назад

    can someone cite this for me?

  • @WoodlandsAway10
    @WoodlandsAway10 4 года назад +1

    Correlation does not imply Causation

    • @rs72098
      @rs72098 2 года назад +2

      The phrase should be "Correlation not ALWAYS imply causation", because there are times when it does imply causation.

  • @JamesWattMusic
    @JamesWattMusic 5 лет назад

    so in other words, you have to be knowledgeable in the physical domain in order to interpret the data/stats

  • @JoaquinArguelles
    @JoaquinArguelles 7 лет назад +1

    Good stuff!

  • @tsfreh
    @tsfreh 12 лет назад +1

    wetenschap is dat voor te weten x

  • @nazomius7033
    @nazomius7033 Месяц назад

    Politicians can learn a lot from this

  • @thatJAWNraps
    @thatJAWNraps Месяц назад

    gotta say tho, last example is good/factual but i still think its not the worst thing to be building up kids to have high morals, i get it doesnt mean BETTER GRADES which is what she says but it prob still = better mental health etc or whatever else theyve studied

  • @fragilestitching
    @fragilestitching 3 года назад +1

    I want that shirt she's wearing

  • @MelancholyMadoka
    @MelancholyMadoka 3 года назад +2

    This lady is talking about people drowning to death with a smile.

  • @causalyte8816
    @causalyte8816 7 лет назад +2

    Amazing

  • @danieleasterling5325
    @danieleasterling5325 3 года назад

    So obviously we need to ban good weather.

  • @Jbroglydecap
    @Jbroglydecap 9 лет назад +11

    what if i eat icecream in the desert?

  • @ghiribizzi
    @ghiribizzi 8 лет назад

    tho causation is correlated to the principle of sufficient reason transcendentally, (speculations and unproved philosophems on a side), namely the correlate of freedom (empiric aka practical reason) is the Will (phenomenological)only as an abstraction or a subject-object representation aka relation etc.

  • @fsualum3632
    @fsualum3632 6 лет назад

    Too bad more people don’t use this simple logic when it comes to the premise of descent with modification.

  • @josephguzicki7635
    @josephguzicki7635 2 года назад

    awesome!

  • @monicabello1962
    @monicabello1962 3 года назад

    Journalists should wach this before wrinting articles🤣🤣🤣 as they use to turn correlations to facts by habit.

  • @Yokatosh
    @Yokatosh 8 лет назад +2

    "Look mario, its a question blotch"

  • @it_is_morgana5917
    @it_is_morgana5917 3 года назад

    4:02

  • @conner1872
    @conner1872 4 года назад

    lol you shouldn't ban ANYTHING that is dangerous cars are the most dangerous thing in the world!

  • @doaloganpaul3018
    @doaloganpaul3018 3 года назад +1

    This video made me feel depressed

  • @146maxpain
    @146maxpain 6 лет назад

    Probleem is dat Ionica geen echte wetenschapper is maar een fantast.

  • @mrbunnylovespancake1
    @mrbunnylovespancake1 4 года назад

    GRIFFITHHHHH!!!!

  • @christinachapman3386
    @christinachapman3386 3 года назад

    Yes---one needs to think about our snap conclusion about things...she is very charming ......but the marriage example is flawed.
    We would need to analyze the data based on one income level. Ex rich men who do not marry and those who don't. Poor men that marry/vs those that don't.

  • @amypowell9491
    @amypowell9491 7 лет назад

    is that so wow some people would nt and couldnt eat foods or stop its to hard my taste buds and still hungry and ice cream thats been my favorite since i was 9 years old. i barely gave up or stoped eating candy or choclate like edible candy everything ing the world being edible to me any way

  • @sankalpjain1372
    @sankalpjain1372 Год назад

    Maybe it is the reason of superstitions. People derive moronic causation from a correlation.

  • @rajatroy1138
    @rajatroy1138 6 лет назад

    The financial crisis I thought were caused by men - oh wait correlation but no causation? Thank you doctor!

  • @amypowell9491
    @amypowell9491 7 лет назад +1

    i just. got a pack of medium nails i am working on in the next few and today. and

  • @hashimmohammad6838
    @hashimmohammad6838 11 месяцев назад

    GRIFFFFFITHHH!"

  • @CarlosWashingtonMercado
    @CarlosWashingtonMercado Год назад

    5:24 "female bankers and financial crisis" 🤣

  • @repblicmedia2023
    @repblicmedia2023 2 года назад

    Luvely

  • @supreethmv
    @supreethmv 2 года назад

    crisp

  • @m1a2abramstusk35
    @m1a2abramstusk35 4 года назад +1

    Lethal icecream

  • @بطاطسمحمرة-ج6ي
    @بطاطسمحمرة-ج6ي 4 года назад +1

    الدحيح

  • @tropicalgarden2884
    @tropicalgarden2884 6 лет назад +1

    Wrong on "life expectancy"
    A Married man takes better care of his health (because his wife insists on it) and therefore he lives longer.

  • @Dyslexic-Artist-Theory-on-Time
    @Dyslexic-Artist-Theory-on-Time 8 лет назад

    Man made global warming could be another example!

  • @xXxScrattiexXx
    @xXxScrattiexXx 12 лет назад

    wat

  • @mountainssan
    @mountainssan 4 года назад

    Stream ice cream

  • @alessandrasubtil3897
    @alessandrasubtil3897 5 месяцев назад

    😂

  • @oblivious7045
    @oblivious7045 Год назад

    Why she sound like Stephen Hawking ?

  • @rs72098
    @rs72098 2 года назад +1

    The phrase should be *"Correlation does not ALWAYS equal causation but there are many times it does"* It's interesting that Ted talks will draw causation ONLY when it suits their libertarian left-wing agenda such as evolution, legalizing drugs, and legalizing prostitution.

    • @dlon4539
      @dlon4539 2 года назад +1

      From your many, give me your top 3 examples

    • @thedoc5848
      @thedoc5848 Год назад

      Infering causation from correlation is a logical fallacy.
      It never even implies causation

    • @yasyasmarangoz3577
      @yasyasmarangoz3577 Год назад

      Let's talk, what would be the consequences of legalizing drugs?
      What would legalizing look like?

  • @thatJAWNraps
    @thatJAWNraps Месяц назад

    just debated a clown who used this fallacy for evvvvvery argument
    and just word salad qanon term-ing me and answering a simple yes/no question (if i could get one out) with 4 unrelated strawman style whataboutism responses - its not just America, its a Trump supporter thing even internatinoally & im 36 w/ 4 citzenships lol

  • @adamw8469
    @adamw8469 2 года назад

    Awesome!! Now do Climate Change…

  • @kikojoseph4817
    @kikojoseph4817 9 лет назад +1

    So there's no correlation between smoking and lungs that leads to the causation of lung cancer?
    Correlation simply means the co-relation of two or more subjects. Conditions simply don't 'happen'. That's like saying the Principle of Cause and Effect isn't true.
    If somebody stabs my leg with a knife and I yell in pain and bleed - then the CAUSE stems from the relationship between the knife and my torn flesh. I'm not going to sit down and say "Well gee, I want to say that this excruciating pain is the result of a knife tearing into my leg. But correlation is not causation. So I can't prove that this is the case."
    Why the hell do people not understand the obvious?

    • @EpsilonFilms
      @EpsilonFilms 9 лет назад +22

      Kiko Joseph There is a correlation between smoking and lung cancer. The causation comes from the study of the various mechanisms by which this is possible. The example you provide is a silly one, because in that case the cause is blatantly obvious because you have reliable evidence that the knife caused it (e.g. you saw or felt the knife stab you.) In other cases, like the ones mentioned in this talk, the situations are much more complicated and as a result the real cause may be less intuitive for the interpreter. This is why mistakes are made... so the answer to your last question is that it is not always obvious.

    • @JamesWattMusic
      @JamesWattMusic 5 лет назад +1

      smoke is like tiny knives poking at your lungs

    • @luyolomagwebu389
      @luyolomagwebu389 2 года назад +1

      In the knife scenario You would know why you're yelling, it would be quite clear to You but to an outsider it should technically be difficult to tell. It could happen that something else is causing you the pain and it coincidentally occurred at the same time you were being stabbed and also happens to be of greater pain magnitude, hence you're yelling. Without your acknowledgement, I can only go on correlation, I'll know the cause once you tell me.

  • @BbyZee10
    @BbyZee10 8 лет назад

    Her accent is hard I cannot understand what she is saying

    • @gtiz5
      @gtiz5 8 лет назад +2

      Agreed, she has an accent, but I doubt this is an issue here, and it certainly does not detract from the quality of the talk.

    • @JayUrutau
      @JayUrutau 8 лет назад +5

      I presume you're being too hard on her either because of an accent based bias or because you're not proficient in English. This is not my native language and I was able to understand her thoroughly.

    • @LettuceLand
      @LettuceLand 8 лет назад +13

      I was able to understand everything she said.

  • @Cheyajm
    @Cheyajm 2 года назад

    Except for the snarky comment about vaccines it was a pretty interesting video...not pro or anti, just neutral on the topic, but there is also no proof that it DOESN'T or CAN'T cause autism...