Causal inference from indirect experiments

An indirect experiment is a study in which randomized control is replaced by randomized encouragement, that is, subjects are encouraged, rather than forced, to receive a given treatment program. The purpose of this paper is to bring to the attention of experimental researchers simple mathematical re...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inArtificial intelligence in medicine Vol. 7; no. 6; pp. 561 - 582
Main Author Pearl, Judea
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.12.1995
Subjects
Causal reasoning
Graphical models
Humans
Models, Theoretical
Noncompliance
Patient Compliance
Persuasive Communication
Random Allocation
Research Design
Treatment evaluation
Treatment Outcome
Causal reasoning
Graphical models
Treatment evaluation
Noncompliance
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Summary:An indirect experiment is a study in which randomized control is replaced by randomized encouragement, that is, subjects are encouraged, rather than forced, to receive a given treatment program. The purpose of this paper is to bring to the attention of experimental researchers simple mathematical results that enable us to assess, from indirect experiments, the strength with which causal influences operate among variables of interest. The results reveal that despite the laxity of the encouraging instrument, data from indirect experimentation can yield significant and sometimes accurate information on the impact of a program on the population as a whole, as well as on the particular individuals who participated in the program.
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ISSN:0933-3657
1873-2860
DOI:10.1016/0933-3657(95)00027-3