Predictive models are indeed useful for causal inference

• Published in: Ecology (Durham) Vol. 106; no. 1; p. e4517
• Main Authors: Nichols, James D, Cooch, Evan G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.01.2025
• Subjects: Animals; Causality; Ecology - methods; Ecosystem; Models, Biological; strength of inference; directed acyclic graphs; predictive models; study design; causality

The subject of investigating causation in ecology has been widely discussed in recent years, especially by advocates of a structural causal model (SCM) approach. Some of these advocates have criticized the use of predictive models and model selection for drawing inferences about causation. We argue...