THE NATURE OF CAUSATION Free Will Vs. Determinism Causation in the natural sciences -- plants and nutrition Causality in the social sciences assumes determinism Reasons have reasons Idiographic Vs. Nomethetic models of explanation -- both causal

 Idiographic explanation  Credibility or believability  Rival hypothesis considered Criteria for Causality

 Nomothetic explanation  Cause precede effect  There is an empirical correlation between cause and effect  The result is not found to be the result of a third variable Criteria for Causality

 Marijuana smoking - reduces grades  Low grades (stress) -- increased marijuana smoking Correlation and Causality Emotional Problems Marijuana Smoking Low Grades

 Most studies conclude marijuana smoking is associated with higher grades!  Marijuana relaxes -- more effective studying  Marijuana is a reward for hitting the books -- higher grades Correlation and Causality Intellectual Curiosity Marijuana Smoking High Grades

 Provincialism  Hasty Conclusion  Questionable Cause  Suppressed Evidence  False Dilemma Errors of Reasoning

 Theory construction  Derivation of theoretical hypotheses  Operationalization of concepts  Collection of empirical data  Empirical testing of hypotheses  PRACTICAL PROBLEMS Traditional Deductive Model