Which term is used for frameworks that describe cause-and-effect relationships in psychology?

Which term is used for frameworks that describe cause-and-effect relationships in psychology?

• A. Causal Models
• B. Etiology
• C. Prognosis
• D. Prevalence

Answer: (A)

Cause-and-effect relationships in psychology are described using causal models. These frameworks lay out how one variable influences another, including direct effects as well as indirect effects through mediators or moderators. They can be drawn as diagrams or formal equations to test hypotheses about why outcomes occur and how changes in one factor might lead to changes in another. For example, a causal model might propose that sleep quality affects mood, which in turn influences motivation, and researchers test these links with data over time to see if the proposed pathways hold up. Etiology, by contrast, studies the origins of a disorder but isn’t the general framework for mapping relationships among multiple variables. Prognosis is about predicting the future course of a condition, and prevalence is about how common a condition is in a population.

Cause-and-effect relationships in psychology are described using causal models. These frameworks lay out how one variable influences another, including direct effects as well as indirect effects through mediators or moderators. They can be drawn as diagrams or formal equations to test hypotheses about why outcomes occur and how changes in one factor might lead to changes in another. For example, a causal model might propose that sleep quality affects mood, which in turn influences motivation, and researchers test these links with data over time to see if the proposed pathways hold up. Etiology, by contrast, studies the origins of a disorder but isn’t the general framework for mapping relationships among multiple variables. Prognosis is about predicting the future course of a condition, and prevalence is about how common a condition is in a population.