Introduction to Types of Statistical Studies

What you’ll learn to do: Describe various types of statistical studies and the types of conclusions that are appropriate.

In statistical studies, the type of study design used and the details of the design are important in determining what kind of conclusions we may draw from the results. In particular, simply observing an association between two variables – say, smoking and cancer – does not guarantee that one variable causes the other. In this section, we will explore how the details of a study design play a crucial role in determining our ability to establish evidence of causation.