Potential Outcomes

Definition

Potential outcomes refer to the different outcomes that could occur under different treatment conditions in a study. It involves comparing what happens to individuals when they receive different treatments or interventions.

Analogy

Think of potential outcomes like trying out different recipes for chocolate chip cookies. Each recipe represents a different treatment condition, and the potential outcomes are the various results you could get - some cookies might be chewy, while others might be crispy.

Related terms

Causal Inference: Causal inference is the process of determining cause-and-effect relationships between variables based on observed data.

Treatment Effect: Treatment effect refers to the difference in outcome between two or more treatment conditions.

Counterfactuals: Counterfactuals are hypothetical scenarios that represent what would have happened if an individual had received a different treatment or intervention.