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association

— A relationship between two variables in a study, e.g. between having received a particular treatment and having experienced a particular outcome.

Synonyms:

relationship, correlation

Full explanation:

The presence of an association does not necessarily imply a causal relationship.

Observing a simple association between two variables - for example, having received a particular treatment, and having experienced a particular outcome - cannot be assumed to mean that the treatment was necessarily responsible for the outcome. The association may reflect the effects of biases from confounder.

Cartoon:

Image from XKCD.

Example:

For example, people who seek and receive a treatment may be healthier and have better living conditions than people who do not seek and receive a treatment, so the former have better outcomes for those reasons, rather than because of the treatment.

See also:

causation

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