2026-06-10 –, WS Room 2418
Health Service Psychology trainers promote rigorous research methods and statistical training, yet causal inference is often treated implicitly or deferred to advanced electives. We contend that causal inference should be viewed as part of the common core of doctoral training – a universal intervention that benefits all students, whether it is specific to students’ research focus or simply supports better conceptualization of research problems. We revisit the central role of theory and articulate problems guiding research designs, which are often taught to students. We plan to illustrate how trainers can help students better appreciate when and why psychologists should care about causation, not merely association. We aim to develop discussion of pedagogical strategies for “hand-over-hand” training that moves beyond rote warnings (e.g., “correlation is not causation”) toward teaching of more principled causal thinking. Finally, we consider the downstream effects of including more causal inference in graduate training.
The aim of this session is to show the utility of causal inference in demystifying research design and statistical analyses, making research overall more accessible and interesting to students who perceive themselves to have less pedigree or comfort in statistics and research methods.
Please note any pre-requisite knowledge/expertise you will expect from attendees (i.e., is the session most appropriate for someone who already has experience with a topic?).:No prior experience needed.
