A network consisting of links or arcs between nodes or factors
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A causal map can be defined as a network consisting of links or arcs between nodes or factors, such that a link between C and E means, in some sense, that someone believes or claims C has or had some causal influence on E.
This definition could cover diagrams representing causal connections between variables which are measured in a strictly quantitative way and would therefore also include closely related statistical models like Structural Equation Models[1] and Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs).[2] However the phrase “causal map” is usually reserved for qualitative or merely semi-quantitative maps. In this sense, causal maps can be seen as a type of concept map. Systems diagrams and Fuzzy Cognitive Maps [3] also fall under this definition. Causal maps have been used since the 1970’s by researchers and practitioners in a range of disciplines from management science [4] to ecology,[5] employing a variety of methods. They are used for many purposes, for example:
As sketch diagrams to summarise causal links [6]
As tools to understand how decisions are made [7]
As tools to assist strategic planning [8]
As tools to form and represent a consensus of expert views on “what causes what” in a subject area [9]
As tools to investigate the differences in how different subjects view causal links in a subject area [10]
As a way to encode the separate views of many different respondents on “what causes what” in a subject area [11]
To represent “theories of change” [12] and “program theory” [13] in project management and evaluation
Different kinds of causal maps can be distinguished particularly by the kind of information which can be encoded by the links and nodes. One important distinction is to what extent the links are intended to encode causation or (somebody’s) belief about causation.
^Clogg, Clifford C.; Bollen, Kenneth A.; Long, J. Scott (1993). "Testing Structural Equation Models". Social Forces. 73 (3): 1161. doi:10.2307/2580595. ISSN 0037-7732. JSTOR 2580595.
^Pearl, J; Mackenzie, D (2018). "The Book of Why: The New Science of Cause and Effect". Journal of the American Statistical Association. 115 (529): 482–485. arXiv:2003.11635. doi:10.1080/01621459.2020.1721245. ISSN 0162-1459. S2CID 213366968.
^Kosko, 1986
^Bougon, Michel; Weick, Karl; Binkhorst, Din (1977). "Cognition in Organizations: An Analysis of the Utrecht Jazz Orchestra". Administrative Science Quarterly. 22 (4): 606. doi:10.2307/2392403. ISSN 0001-8392. JSTOR 2392403.
^Moon, Katie; Guerrero, Angela M.; Adams, Vanessa. M.; Biggs, Duan; Blackman, Deborah A.; Craven, Luke; Dickinson, Helen; Ross, Helen (2019-03-07). "Mental models for conservation research and practice". Conservation Letters. 12 (3). doi:10.1111/conl.12642. hdl:1959.4/unsworks_67278. ISSN 1755-263X.
^Alan., Murray, Charles. Investment and tithing in Thai villages: a behavioral study of rural modernization. OCLC 24819834.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Robert, Axelrod (1976). Structure of Decision : the Cognitive Maps of Political Elites. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-1-4008-7195-7. OCLC 949946348.
^Reynolds, Martin; Holwell, Sue, eds. (2010). Systems Approaches to Managing Change: A Practical Guide. Bibcode:2010satm.book.....R. doi:10.1007/978-1-84882-809-4. ISBN 978-1-84882-808-7.
^Barbrook-Johnson, Pete; Penn, Alexandra (2021). "Participatory systems mapping for complex energy policy evaluation". Evaluation. 27 (1): 57–79. doi:10.1177/1356389020976153. ISSN 1356-3890. S2CID 231624497.
^Copestake, J; Remnant, F (2019). "Generating credible evidence of social impact using the Qualitative Impact Protocol (QuIP): the challenge of positionality in data coding and analysis". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^Davies, Rick (2004). "Scale, Complexity and the Representation of Theories of Change". Evaluation. 10 (1): 101–121. doi:10.1177/1356389004043124. ISSN 1356-3890. S2CID 62169076.
A causalmap can be defined as a network consisting of links or arcs between nodes or factors, such that a link between C and E means, in some sense, that...
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This is a list of causal mapping software. Causal mapping software enables users to create and/or work with causalmaps: qualitative networks of interconnected...
which are also said to be causal factors for it, and all lie in its past. An effect can in turn be a cause of, or causal factor for, many other effects...
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Distinguish between the root cause and other causal factors (e.g., using event correlation) Establish a causal graph between the root cause and the problem...
observed). Additional causal connections link those latent variables to observed variables whose values appear in a data set. The causal connections are represented...
and Magnetism. In general relativity, conformal maps are the simplest and thus most common type of causal transformations. Physically, these describe different...
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circular causal systems whose outputs are also inputs, such as feedback systems. It is concerned with the general principles of circular causal processes...
additional visual cues in the form of the perspectives and causal arrows, the strategy map has been found useful in enabling discussion within a management...
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Molecularly characterized genetic disorders are those for which the underlying causal gene has been identified. Currently there are approximately 2,200 such disorders...
Mendelian randomization through machine learning to construct a putative causalmap of the human phenome". doi:10.1101/173682. S2CID 8865889. {{cite journal}}:...
analyses developed using other methods. The AcciMap approach involves the construction of a multi-layered causal diagram in which the various causes of an accident...
natural law arises when either causal closure or physical determinism (nomological determinism) is asserted. With causal closure, no physical event has...
execution order of causally dependent operations be the same as their natural cause-effect order during the process of collaboration. The causal relationship...
or mechanical system) may be represented as a causal loop diagram. A causal loop diagram is a simple map of a system with all its constituent components...
informed assertions about which relationships are causal, and about exactly how they are causal. Epidemiologists emphasize that the "one cause – one...
map implies the use of process flow and the current understanding of the causal structure. Six Sigma practitioners use the term Business Process Architecture...
that an expression evokes in the minds of language users. According to causal theories, meaning is determined by causes and effects, which behaviorist...
fishbone diagrams, herringbone diagrams, cause-and-effect diagrams) are causal diagrams created by Kaoru Ishikawa that show the potential causes of a specific...
cause-and-effect has to be handled carefully when applied to feedback systems: Simple causal reasoning about a feedback system is difficult because the first system...