Free Lesson
Don't Get Fooled! Avoid The Illusion of Causality in Charts
60 min
Jun 16, 2025 12:00 PM
Virtual (Zoom)
In this video
What you'll learn
Spot charts with false cause-and-effect claims
You'll learn how to identify charts that suggest (explicitly or implicitly) cause and effect where there may be none.
Identify different types of causality in charts
You'll learn how different chart types and combinations of data types lead to different types of illusory causality.
Scientific background on causality in charts
You'll learn about scientific studies that show how people derive causality from charts.
Why this topic matters
We often work with data to make decisions and to convince others that a given intervention will have a desired effect. Cause and effect are everything in decision-making. But charts do not always tell the truth. The truth comes from your ability to reason effectively about cause and effect.
You'll learn from
Enrico Bertini
University professor, researcher, and educator with 15+ years of experience.